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There’s nothing more thrilling than to see a bunch of people giving their best to gain the title of best on the track, so there’s no wonder why “Street Outlaws” is so successful. With dramatic personal and financial issues, accidents and rivalries, there’s also that supposed illegal aspect of street racing that really makes it unsurprising when one driver gets himself into big trouble.
When one of these issues happens, viewers quickly take sides, and more often than not, hateful comments and social media drama takes place. Such was the case for Chuck Seitsinger, whose prolonged absence from “Street Outlaws” in 2022, and his rumored troubles with the law, really had the audience taking sides. and judging him to no end.
However, what really happened to Chuck? Why was he in jail, and what did he have to say about it? Keep with us to know all!
Why Was Chuck In Jail?
While it isn’t the first time a “Street Outlaws” driver has had some issues with the law, it was surprising to find out Chuck Seitsinger was in prison in early 2022.
As it happens, in July 2020 Chuck made some threatening ‘phone calls which resulted in a misdemeanor case filed against him in August that year. Although further details such as the identity of the victim aren’t known, in March 2022 the case was closed and he was convicted for a threat of violence and harassment through a phone call. He spent 60 days behind bars in Oklahoma County Jail, and is expected to serve a year under the supervision of law enforcement, on top of having to attend a class on anger issues.
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Following his release, Chuck wrote on Facebook ‘I was protecting my children, and handled it the wrong way’. Later on his YouTube channel, he admitted that the incident happened back when he was hospitalized for COVID-19, and received a call from his teen children asking for help back home, but seeing himself unable to solve the situation personally, he instead ‘phoned the person and made some unfortunate declarations. Given the suddenness of his arrest, he was unable to continue his “No Prep Kings” season, and explain the situation to his followers as soon as possible.
Who Does Chuck Do For A Living?
Although it’s been said that Chuck owns a repair shop in Oklahoma called Advanced Motorsports, there’s been a long time since he last mentioned his business. Instead, he’s been keener on promoting his online shop, Chuck Seitsinger Racing, which has listed a wide variety of merchandise such as shirts, caps, hoodies and even diecasts of his beloved 1989 Ford Fox Body Mustang, known in the streets as Death Trap.
While he’s now focused on his street racing career, back in 2004 he was recognized as Rookie of the Year by the Drag Racing Association, on top of winning the 4 Cylinder division Cup at the Nitrous Express Championship that year, according to Street Outlaws website.
Regarding his personal life, Chuck has three daughters named Chelsea, Madelyn and Miranda, but apparently divorced from their mother in recent years.
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Did He Fight Anthony Dockens?
While Chuck Seitsinger’s arrest and subsequent sentence isn’t a fortunate situation for either of the involved parties, this isn’t the first time he has got himself into some trouble. In fact, it isn’t easy forgettable, that back in 2015 he had a serious altercation with Anthony Dockens, a “Street Outlaws” racer from Kansas, who drives the Crypt Keeper, an electric blue 1985 Monte Carlo SS.
Dockens isn’t a recurring cast member in “Street Outlaws”, but he appeared in the fourth season, and gave Chuck a run for his money. However, there was apparently some bad blood between them off camera, as Dockens refused a challenge from Chuck, given the track was being used by the local community. Sure enough, Chuck didn’t like that answer, and from then on a rude argument ensued between the men, all of it fortunately recorded by some bystanders, who shared the video on YouTube.
Although apparently their argument didn’t evolve into a physical fight and the race indeed took place, this is one example of the many things which happen in the street race scene.
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Who Else Has Been Arrested From The Show?
The world of street racing is a tough one, so it isn’t surprising that many cast members of “Street Outlaws” have had some issues with the law at some point in their lives.
JJ Da Boss
It’s no secret that Jonathan Day from Memphis, better known as JJ Da Boss, has been involved in some serious illegal issues. As stated by himself on his website, ‘JJ made some bad choices and wrong decisions’, which got him behind bars for over eight years. According to him, the time spent in federal prison was ‘a learning process’ which taught him to ‘appreciate and also respect life and everyone in it’.
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While it’s for sure that taking a different path in life is what led JJ to where he is nowadays, it hasn’t stopped him from getting into other problems in recent years. In fact, in 2018 a couple from Missouri named Chad and Genny Larkin, accused JJ of assault during a race, as stated in the lawsuit filed against JJ, Discovery Channel and Pilgrim Films & Television. According to Larkin, he feared for his life as he was ‘kicked and hit about his head and body’ after JJ commanded other people to do so. At the time of the altercation, “Street Outlaws” was apparently filming in the place, according to Newsweek.
It’s unclear what happened to the lawsuit, but considering some big companies were involved, it wouldn’t be surprising if the issue was settled out of court.
Izzy Valenzuela
Probably one of the most serious cases involving a “Street Outlaws” cast member is that of Izzy Valenzuela. Although his appearances in the show were brief, in early 2015 he was in many headlines, accused of being involved in an illegal car crash which resulted in the unfortunate death of two people.
The sad incident happened in the Californian neighborhood of Chatsworth, when Valenzuela was racing against Karen Gary Balyan, who lost control of his Mustang and crashed against a fence where spectators were standing. Valenzuela, Balyan and the race’s organizer named Henry Michael Gevorgyan were charged with murder, and their bails were set at $2 million.
The men were ultimately sentenced in January 2016 for ‘manslaughter with gross negligence’, according to MotorTrend. Valenzuela was condemned to serve one year behind bars, on top of serving five years on probation, and having his car destroyed. Gevorgyan was sentenced to one year in prison and three years probation, also having his car destroyed.
On his part, Balyan was sentenced to 12 years in jail on the aforementioned charges and assault with a deadly weapon. Needless to say, Valenzuela hasn’t appeared again in “Street Outlaws” since then.
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Rhett Peters
While the name Rhett Peters might not sound familiar, he actually appeared a couple of times in the New Orleans-based “Street Outlaws” spin-off. Given that he owned a car repair shop, it wasn’t surprising that Rhett was involved with the local race scene in Kiln-DeLisle Road in Mississippi, where he resided.
That’s why his arrest in September 2016 was deeply surprising, given that he was apparently using his business to traffic drugs. During the raid on his property ‘meth, smoking pipes, scales’ were found, on top of having AK-47 and .30-30 rifles in his possession, and testing positive for a couple of ‘meth, opiates, cocaine and benzodiazepines’. According to the Sun Herald, an early investigation revealed that Rhett had been selling these substances since early that year.
Though Rhett’s old supplier had been killed prior to the arrest, other accomplices were identified, thanks to his confession. That being said, it was also revealed that Rhett had been convicted previously for cocaine transfer, in 1996.
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Ronnie Pollard
While Ronnie Pollard’s name isn’t widely recognized by “Street Outlaws” viewers, his brief appearance in the show’s early seasons surely served to identify him when he was running away from the law in 2015.
As it happens, Ronnie was involved in the robbery of almost $500,000 from a North Carolina’s business named Buck Racing Engines. His accomplices were identified as Jerry Clyde Stephenson Jr., Christopher Goodman and Joshua Wayne Montgomery, who were on the run with Ronnie for almost two weeks before being captured in Oklahoma in late August that year. However, Ronnie had been on the radar of the Oklahoma police before, as the Captain Paul Tryon is also a racer: ‘it was near and dear to his heart to get this guy off the street’, as Deputy Justin Green affirmed to DragZine.
While Ronnie’s sentence is unknown, in September 2016, Buck Racing Engines affirmed that Jerry Clyde Stevenson was condemned to 48 months in jail, while all the suspects were found guilty, and ‘shared a restitution of $464,378.18’.
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Jerry Bird
The arrest of Jerry Bird in 2017 is infamous to say the least. As it happened, Shane McAlary and Jerry were racing for a local illegal event called Cash Days, which rewards the winner with thousands of dollars. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the race until they reached the finish line, where a police officer was waiting to arrest them for racing illegally. Apparently nothing happened to Shane, but the news of Jerry’s arrest spread like wildfire on social media, given that it was entirely recorded by bystanders.
Though Jerry was ultimately released, it was unfortunate, and not easily forgettable.
Jay Boddie
Although Jay Boddie is still quite new to “Street Outlaws: No Prep Kings”, his couple of appearances in the show have been enough to remember him by. A native of San Francisco, Jay’s fascination with the race scene started very early in his childhood, thanks to his father Albert Boddie’s influence.
Regardless of his strong love for racing, Jay pursued a career in basketball which landed him not only a place in California State University, but also a couple of scoring records. However, becoming a father at 21 years old took him back home after dropping out of college. Six years later, he was condemned to 10 years in jail for selling drugs.
While that part of Jay’s life is unfortunate to say the least, he chose a different path after his release. At 36 years old, he resumed his journey in the street racing scene, escalating to the top positions until ultimately forming his own team. That being said, the most important accomplishment in Jay’s career was to ‘become a role model for many young people who are growing up in similar conditions’ as him, according to No Prep Racing. Hopefully, his personal story will reach even more people, as his appearances on TV continue.
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Stolen Cars
“Street Outlaws” has taught us that the world of street racing is risky, but sometimes that’s not the fault of the show’s drivers.
As it happened, at least two autos have been stolen from the show’s stars. One was The Reaper, a 1955 Chevy Bel Air which belongs to James Goad, valued at almost $200,000. The car disappeared overnight in November 2016 from a car shop, and of course it was an anguished situation for James: ‘There’s over 2,000 hours building that car, and I’ve never even drove it. I’ve pulled it out of this garage and backed it back in’, he told Oklahoma News 4. However, the car was found safe and sound a couple of days later.
A customers new toy!!! #love #snapon #chevy #belair #57 #toolchest #wicked #reaper #wantone #chevrolet #cornwall #driver #customer pic.twitter.com/zrYRhZWcPs
— That girl (@aydeecee12) November 16, 2017
In May 2016, David Jones had his 1967 Camaro stolen from a hotel in Texas, along with his trailer and Ford truck, all amounting to over $100,000 in value. According to David, he thought he was ‘in the nice part of town’, but that didn’t stop thieves from stealing three cars in less than three hours: ‘I don’t think I know personally anybody smart enough to steal a truck that quick. It’s somebody that either followed me or was watching that location’, he told Drag Illustrated.
According to Reddit users, the Camaro was found completely destroyed in North Carolina in 2019, though nothing is known about the truck’s and trailer’s whereabouts.
Shop Shooting
If we count some of the most worrisome and fear inducing moments related to “Street Outlaws”, it’s necessary to include the shooting of Midwest Street Cars in Oklahoma.
The incident occurred in 2015, when on a Monday night in September, unidentified gunmen repeatedly shot at the shop owned by Shawn Ellington, known as Murder Nova. Although police reports stated that serious damage was done to the business, fortunately no one was hurt. That being said, whoever was at fault was never publicly revealed.
All in all, whether the problems are caused by racers or by other people, all these incidents convince us that accidents and personal confrontations aren’t the only risks faced by “Street Outlaws” stars on a daily basis.
