Real Housewives of Atlanta alum NeNe Leakes’ oldest son, Bryson Bryant, avoided being thrown in jail over his arrest for possession of fentanyl, In Touch can exclusively report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Bryson, 34, reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
Per their agreement, the prosecutors agreed to dismiss the Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Substance. Bryson agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of Giving False Information to a Law Enforcement Officer. The court sentenced Bryson to 12 months probation and ordered him to pay a $500 fine.
The judge noted Bryson will have to follow a series of rules while on probation. If he breaks any rule, the court said he risks being thrown behind bars.
Per his sentence, Bryson will have to complete 40 hours of community service which needs to be completed within 6 months of being on probation. In addition, Bryson will be subjected to random drug tests ordered by his probation officer. “The Defendant shall provide a release which allows the Community Supervision Office to have access to all medical, clinical, treatment, attendance or work records, and for driving and criminal history,” the order added.
The court ordered Bryson to undergo an evaluation and/or treatment for substance abuse. Bryson was ordered to not consume alcoholic beverages and not use narcotics or dangerous drugs unless lawfully prescribed. Bryson was arrested on July 3, 2023, in Georgia.
Law enforcement said they encountered NeNe’s son outside a home in the city of Lawrenceville around 1 a.m. Police said Bryson claimed he knew the people who lived there “which was false.” While being questioned, police said Bryson told them his name was Brentt Leakes — NeNe’s younger son.
Bryson and Brentt do not have the same father. After he was booked into jail, officers discovered he had given the wrong name during questioning.
Bryson was hit with an additional charge for giving a false name to officers. Bryson’s arrest triggered a probation violation in a separate case — which led to him being held behind bars until October 2023.
Prosecutors filed charges over the July 2023 arrest in January. Bryson plead not guilty to the charges in court. He appeared ready to fight the case.
His lawyer demanded prosecutors turn over files from the police.
In February, his lawyer wrote “Defendant in the above-styled case demands any relevant written or recorded statements made by Defendant within the possession, custody, or control of the state as well as that portion of any written record containing the substance of any relevant oral statement made by Defendant, whether before or after arrest, in response to interrogation by any person then known to the Defendant to be a law enforcement officer or member of the prosecuting attorney’s staff,” the motion read.
“In addition, Defendant demands any other relevant written or oral statement made by Defendant, before or after arrest, whether or not made in response to interrogation,” the motion added. The matter is moot given the recent plea deal.
NeNe, 56, spoke out about Bryson after his arrest.
“He needs a lot of counseling. Like many families out there, I have family members that are struggling with drugs and certain addictions. He has an addiction,” she said. “He’s been in rehab for a couple of times and he still has come back out and relapsed.” “I’ve spent so much money on trying to get Bryson where he needs to be,” she added.
“But every time I’ve sent him off is because I said, ‘You are getting your ass up, and we are sending you off.’ But I learned through counseling myself that he has to say, ‘I’m ready to go,’ not me making him go. So until Bryson is ready to make a change, it’s nothing I [can] do,” she added.
