Sara Evans' Divorce: The Sordid Details
Sounds like a country song in the making: You can keep your porn stash/I'll take the house, kids and cash...
Platinum-selling artist and ex-Dancing with the Stars competitor Sara Evans filed for divorce Thursday from her husband of 13 years, Craig Schelske, accusing him of committing adultery and verbally abusing her, according to court documents obtained by E! News.
Schelske, meanwhile, has refuted the allegations, stating that his estranged wife "has unfortunately become a dramatically different person over the last year."
Evans' decision to end her marriage unfortunately coincided with her so-far successful showing on the ABC series, where she had made it into the final six. The Born to Fly singer, despite also being born to dance, dropped out of the show on Thursday--about the same time her lawyers were filing the paperwork--and thanked her fans for all their support, explaining that she needed to give her family her full attention at this time.
Evans and Schelske have three children, seven-year-old Avery, three-year-old Olivia and two-year-old Audrey.
According to the petition filed in Williamson County, Tennessee, Schelske was keeping a stash of porn on his computer, including at least 100 pictures depicting him fully nude and several showing him engaged in sex with other women.
"On his computers husband maintains 'Craigs Lists'," documents state. "Many of them involve requests for three party and anal sex. Husband's 'Craigs Lists' are composed of personal ads on his personal sex engine involving him and prospective sex partners."
This, despite another of Evans' complaints that her husband railed about allowing a stylist from Dancing with the Stars into their home, referring to the man as a "sodomite" and screaming that it wasn't appropriate to have their children around him.
Schelske, a former Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, downplayed the accusations in a statement. "I have made the decision to forgive Sara for the unfortunate campaign that she and her publicity advisers are currently waging," he says.
"I adamantly deny the allegations that are being made. As distressing as it is to have to communicate about this matter publicly, Sara has unfortunately become a dramatically different person over the last year and it is something we have struggled to deal with. Sadly, it appears we have failed," he continues.
"The best I can do at this difficult time is ask that people of faith would pray for her and for my family."
Evans also states in her suit that Schelske "frequently threatened her and told her that she is crazy."
Evans has also requested a temporary restraining order against Schelske, ordering him to refrain from physically, emotionally and verbally abusing her; to not drink too much around the kids; to not take the children to Oregon (which she says he threatened to do) or otherwise interfere with her temporary custody; and to not expose the youngsters to pornographic materials of any kind (court papers state that one of their three kids confronted Schelske while he was watching porn on TV).
"There's nothing else she could do under the circumstances," Evans' attorney, John Hollins Sr., tells the Nashville Tennessean newspaper.
The reigning Academy of Country Music Female Vocalist of the Year is also seeking primary custody of their three kids, with "reasonable residential parenting time" for Schelske, when the divorce proceedings are finalized. Oh, and she wants the house, too.
In addition to adultery and inappropriate marital conduct, Evans also cites the old standby, irreconcilable differences, as a reason for the split.
Evans, a Missouri native, met Schelske after moving to Nashville in 1991 to start a recording career. The couple tied the knot in 1993.
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