'Home Alone' actor Devin Ratray gets probation in Oklahoma domestic assault case

"Home Alone" actor Devin Ratray was put on probation Wednesday for strangling and punching his girlfriend at an Oklahoma City hotel in 2021.

Ratray, 47, pleaded guilty by video to a felony count of domestic assault and battery by strangulation and a misdemeanor count of domestic assault and battery.

Under a plea deal, he was put on probation for three years on the felony and one year on the misdemeanor.

The plea came a month after his jury trial in Oklahoma County District Court was called off because he had been hospitalized for heart issues in New York.

Ratray, now 49, is best known for "Home Alone," a beloved 1990 Christmas movie about a boy named Kevin McCallister who was left at his house by himself for days by mistake. Ratray was also in the 1992 sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York."

Who is Devin Ratray?

He played Kevin's mean older brother, Buzz. His latest movie was "Kimi," released in 2022 on HBO Max. He had been in Oklahoma City for a convention.

In paperwork for his guilty plea, he admitted he choked his then-girlfriend on Dec. 9, 2021. He admitted he had punched her "after a short break" when they got into another argument. They were staying at the Hyatt Place in Oklahoma City's Bricktown.

The victim, Jessica Rogers, gave police a different account, saying he strangled her with one hand during the argument and kept the other over her mouth. She told police he stopped when she bit his hand and then he punched her.

"While strangling the victim, defendant stated the following: 'This is how you die,'" an Oklahoma City police detective reported in a court affidavit.

More: 'Home Alone' actor Devin Ratray involved in domestic incident at Bricktown hotel, TMZ reports

Rogers lives in Canada and did not attend the sentencing Wednesday. A prosecutor read an emailed statement from her in court after Ratray pleaded guilty.

"I am relieved that this chapter in my life is coming to an end but the scars and trauma will never fully heal," she wrote in the email. "No one should have to endure the fear and and pain that I've experienced at the hands of someone they once cared for.

"I want to make it clear that even one incident of domestic abuse is one too many. No one should ever have to endure the physical and emotional abuse that I went through. I hope that by speaking out and sharing my story, I can encourage others to seek help and speak out against domestic violence.

"I want to send a message that abusers will face consequences for their actions and that victims deserve to be heard and believed."

'Home Alone' actor Devin Ratray pleads in Oklahoma City via video due to health concerns

District Judge Kathryn Savage allowed Ratray to plead by video after she was told his cardiologist recommended he not travel. Ratray lives in New York City, according to his plea paperwork.

Ratray has had significant health issues for months, his defense attorney, Scott Adams, told the judge.

Probation is not unusual in a domestic assault case for a first offense, particularly when the case has issues. Adams had said at the preliminary hearing that the former girlfriend had not told the first police officer about any strangulation.

The type of probation is known as a deferred sentence. It means Ratray will not have a criminal conviction if he completes the conditions of his probation successfully.

Those conditions include participation in a batterers intervention program and a drug and alcohol assessment. He already has completed one condition, anger management training.

He was ordered to have no contact with the victim. He will have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees and other costs.

What was 'Home Alone' actor Devin Ratray in Oklahoma City?

Ratray was in Oklahoma City for the "Oklahoma Pop Christmas Con," according to the court affidavit. He became angry with his girlfriend after she gave away "autograph cards" to two women at a bar for free.

Ratray had consumed a bottle of wine and several shots of alcohol at Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse, according to the affidavit. He then had 10 shots of alcohol at the Coyote Ugly Saloon.

At a preliminary hearing in 2022, Rogers testified she thought was going to die after they got back to their hotel room.

She said Ratray had agreed to do the event in Oklahoma City because he was being evicted from his apartment in New York and needed money. He had been charging $25 for signed photos.

"Devin ... doesn't want to be known for something he did 30 years ago," she testified, according to a transcript. "It was (a) point of contention for him his whole life.

"And it's something that I dealt with a lot when we were dating and that's why he'd never done these cons before because he didn't want to promote that he was in 'Home Alone.'

"He was annoyed to be there and be seen as 'Buzz' anyway," she said.

Ratray did face eviction for a time in 2021, court records in New York show. He faced eviction again last year from the same apartment. His landlord reported in August he owed $20,790 in unpaid rent. He agreed in the eviction case to turn in his keys by Oct. 31.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'Home Alone' actor Devin Ratray pleads guilty to assault in Oklahoma