A former reality TV cowboy is headed to prison for attacking his elderly landlord in a dispute over unpaid rent in Oklahoma, which left the victim with “severe, debilitating and permanent” injuries.
Ethan Treadwell, 43, who appeared on “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years, with 15 years suspended, for the January 2024 attack on William “Junior” Hicks, 74, People reported.
The confrontation stemmed from an eviction notice that Hicks served Treadwell in December 2023 after leasing him land in Kiowa County, Okla., for seven years, according to a civil lawsuit Hicks later filed against Treadwell.
Hicks said Treadwell agreed to leave his land and stopped paying rent but continued grazing cattle on the property in southwest Oklahoma.
On Jan. 30, 2024, Hicks said he was driving home when he spotted Treadwell moving cattle off the property and confronted him, demanding that he stop until the rent was paid.
But Hicks said Treadwell, “without provocation,” attacked him and beat him into an “unconscious state.”
Treadwell’s ex-wife, who was at the scene, told authorities that Treadwell knocked Hicks to the ground and repeatedly kicked him, according to KBTX.
Hicks suffered traumatic brain injuries and a broken nose and was placed on a ventilator for a period of time.
In his lawsuit, he described his injuries as “severe, debilitating and permanent,” People reported.
Treadwell originally faced aggravated assault and battery charges but entered a blind guilty plea to a reduced maiming charge.
The civil case was dismissed in 2025 while the criminal proceedings against Treadwell were pending, court records show.
Treadwell apologized to Hicks in court Tuesday, saying he wished the events had never happened, according to KBTX.
Hicks’ daughter told the court about her father’s injuries and recovery, while former Tillman County Undersheriff Gary Sanders spoke on Treadwell’s behalf and the judge received several character statements supporting him.
Treadwell appeared on the first season of “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” the reality competition hosted by country star Trace Adkins.
Contestants competed in cowboy skills, including cattle herding, lassoing and horsemanship for a chance to win a herd of cattle worth $50,000.
Treadwell made it to the final three in the first season before being eliminated after a “grueling” three-mile herding challenge.
He later returned for the show’s fourth season as an all-star.
One judge described Treadwell as “a little abrasive at times.”
Treadwell has a restitution hearing scheduled for October and has 10 days to appeal his sentence.
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