American Idol contestant Cecil Ray Baker was arrested and charged with a second-degree felony after allegedly breaking into his ex-girlfriend Mariah Lopez's home.

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Cecil, who made it to American Idol's Top 24 contestants on the currently-airing nineteenth season, was arrested on Saturday at 3:27PM by the Rockdale Police Department in Rockdale, TX, and charged with burglary of habitation.

Cecil, 20, was released about an hour later on $15,000 bond.

Cecil allegedly forced his way into Mariah's home a few days earlier because she had refused to allow the Texas singer to visit with her daughter, Us Weekly reported.

According to the police report obtained by the magazine on Monday, Mariah claimed in an affidavit Cecil had ripped open her locked back door after she tried to turn her ex away.

Mariah alleged that once Cecil entered her home without permission, he pushed her and "struck her in the face with a palm heel" before walking out.

Cecil's sister reportedly backed up Mariah's story and told police she had witnessed the abusive incident.

"I've had enough. This is why victims never come forward bc y'all try so hard to tear them down. #dobetter #bebetter," Mariah captioned a TikTok video of her story on Sunday.

In the video clip on TikTop, Mariah posted a screenshot of an alleged text-message exchange she had with a person claiming to have witnessed Cecil being violent towards Mariah in the past.

The person allegedly wrote to Mariah, "I've personally seen him lay his hands on you and heard the names he calls you, the people saying 'he would never do that' or 'he has never done that' are completely wrong!"

The unidentified person continued, "I've seen him push you so hard you fall to the ground and damn near roll. I've heard him full blown fist fight you from the other room. I've seen him multiple times grab you and yank you around and keep YOUR phone from you, pull your hair, etc."

Mariah wrote on the screenshot to Cecil, "I know your family has seen your behavior and honestly it is disgusting that they are OK with it and trying to deny it," Mariah wrote alongside her post.

Mariah showed alleged evidence of bruises on her body as well as a text from Cecil in which he apparently threatened her, saying, "I am going to make you regret this sh-t," when she confessed she was "not f-cking happy" in their relationship.
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Mariah admitted "there were times when it was hard to leave" Cecil because he'd "keep reeling me back in" with sweet words.

Another person allegedly wrote to Mariah in her defense, "I've heard the name calls, how he yelled at you... He's hit you, even with his palm, he hit you. He's left you there alone to cry and take care of the baby. [He] ran off and does what he wants. He doesn't care. Then he'll come back, apologize... and do it again. It's ridiculous."

The person allegedly added of Cecil, "He isn't a good person. He tries to [put] the blame on you."

After uploading a photo of Cecil's mugshot, Mariah wrote, "The truth will eventually come out," and added a picture of her door hinge following Cecil's alleged break-in.

"But in all honesty, I just hope that you decide to do better. I hope one day that you change and hold yourself accountable for your own actions. I hope one day you can change and flourish into the person that you need to be," Mariah concluded.

"My daughter and I are happy, safe and healthy."

Prior to Cecil's elimination from American Idol, he had dedicated a March performance to his two-month-old daughter, Emilia Jade, whom he reportedly called his "lifeline."

"I plan to give her the life I never had," Cecil said during Hollywood Week, according to Us.

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"I wanna prove to my daughter that just because you grow up in a small town doesn't mean you can't have the biggest dreams. Anything's achievable."

But Mariah claimed in a separate TikTok video in April that Cecil had "cheated" on her and "chose the other girls over us."

"People aren't who they always seem to be on TV. I'm tired of always being silenced," Mariah captioned her post. "You even denied my daughter being yours #cheater #americanidol #fyp."

American Idol is in the process of determining its Top 10 contestants for Season 19 on ABC.


About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.