He might be proclaiming his innocence, but this situation is hardly rosy.
Former Bachelorette contestant Kasey Kahl plead not guilty Friday morning to felony assault in a Fresno County, Calif., courtroom. Kahl was busted in January on a drunken and disorderly conduct charge for getting into a fight outside a Fresno hot spot; then earlier this month, he was charged with two counts of felony assault, one for felony battery and one for public intoxication.
But Kahl's attorney Gerald Saul Schwab tells E! News that the reality star was defending himself the night of the brawl and he has several witness statements to back up his story. Several of these statements were presented to the district attorney's office Friday morning.
In addition to the three felony charges and one misdemeanor charge against him, prosecutors say Kahl was under the influence of liquor, a drug, a controlled substance and toluene (paint thinners). His attorney tells E! News, however, the allegations that Kahl was high on paint thinners are "absolutely untrue."
"He is not doing well," Schwab says of his client, who used to date Bachelor franchise fixture Vienna Girardi. "He is upset that he is being charged simply by defending himself."
If Kahl is convicted on all counts, Kahl could be sentenced to eight years in state prison. His next hearing is set for Oct. 2.
UPDATE: While the criminal complaint against Kahl, which is based on the state penal code, includes a laundry list of possible substances that may have contributed to the public intoxication count, including "liquor, a drug, a controlled substance, toluene," Kahl's lawyer says that the reality star was not under the influence of toluene, nor was he suspected of being under the influence of toluene.