Will Hayden

Will Hayden
Born William Michale Hayden
(1965-06-24) June 24, 1965
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S.
Occupation Gunsmith
TV personality

William Michale "Will" Hayden (born June 24, 1965)[1] is an American gunsmith, television personality, and former U.S. Marine and gun shop owner. He is best known as the star of the 2011–2014 Discovery Channel reality series Sons of Guns.

Early life

Hayden was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is partly of Choctaw descent.[2] From an early age, he was a firearms enthusiast, and often read about weapons and warfare.[2]

Hayden also survived a large house fire as a "three or four year old" child. He stated in a 2011 interview that he remembers, "waking up to fire 'eating me up'... burning the bed... the sheets... the room".[3] Hayden also stated that he was abused by his father in a piece titled Sons of Guns: Straight-Shootin’ Stories from the Star of the Hit Discovery Series. He says in the article, "Hell, he put me through a wall with a punch when I was five... From that moment on I realized I had to pick my battles carefully. Very carefully. Any battle I could get up and walk away from was a victory. It didn’t matter if me or my psyche looked or felt like it’d been run through a meat grinder. Victory is victory."[4]

By age 12, he began building firearms.[2] When he turned 18, he enlisted in the Marines, serving for six years and achieving the rank of Sergeant.

Career

After returning home from the service, Hayden started his own construction and refrigeration business, while working on guns on the side.

Red Jacket Firearms

His side business began to take off, and in 1999, he sold his main business and officially opened Red Jacket Firearms. The name of the company is the translation of his mother's name, Osguma, which means "red jacket" in Choctaw.[2] The firm's first commercial order was from a large distributor called Manotick Firearms for twenty rifles.[2]

From 2011 until 2014, Hayden received nationwide fame when Sons of Guns - a reality TV program focusing on the specialized firearm builds at Red Jacket - aired on Discovery Channel.[5] On August 26, 2014, it was announced that Red Jacket Firearms had received a legal separation as an entity from Hayden.[6]

Personal life

Hayden's daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Kris Ford also appeared on the show as well as working at Red Jacket.

Juvenile rape charges

On August 11, 2014, Hayden was arrested and charged with molestation of a juvenile and aggravated crimes against nature. Hayden said that the allegations are false and were made in retaliation by a vengeful ex-girlfriend, the 12-year-old girl's mother.[7][8] He was subsequently charged with rape of a child based on the alleged statements of the victim.

The charges led to the cancellation of Sons of Guns.[5] Hayden was additionally accused of aggravated rape by his oldest daughter Stephanie Ford who is 34. Ford, a co-star, told police that she was raped 22 years ago when she was 12 by her father Hayden. Stephanie Ford came forward after her 12-year-old sister made allegations against Hayden.[9] Ford also told police that she told her husband four years prior that she was raped.[10] As a result of this last charge, his bail was raised from $200,000 to $350,000.[11] Having pleaded not guilty in January 2015, he awaits trial.[12] In August 2015 the judge relieved Hayden's three private lawyers from the case per the lawyers request. The lawyers said that confidential conditions for their representation hadn't been met, but that there was "no bitterness" between them and Hayden. Hayden will be represented by a public defender for his next court date.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Hayden bio". Bornrich.com. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hayden interview". FHM magazine. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
  3. ↑ Dukes, Chad. "Chad Dukes Interviews Will Hayden from 'Sons of Guns'". CBS News. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Moyer, Justin. "The scary past of former 'Sons of Guns' star — and alleged rapist — Will Hayden". Washington Post. Retrieved 27 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Gun company cuts ties with reality TV star". Associated Press.
  6. ↑ "Hayden's separation from RJF". Red Jacket Firearms. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  7. ↑ "'Sons of Guns' star booked on child molestation in Baton Rouge". The Times Picayune. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  8. ↑ "Hayden rape accusations". Bearing Arms.com. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
  9. ↑ "Hayden rape accusations". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2014-12-04.
  10. ↑ "New charge filed against ex-star of reality show". Associated Press. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  11. ↑ "Hayden's bond raised". Bearing Arms.com. Retrieved 2014-10-29.
  12. ↑ "Hayden awaits trial". NOLA.com. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
  13. ↑ Lane, Emily (August 20, 2015). "Ex-lawyer of former 'Sons of Guns' star accused of raping child: 'There's a lot of evidence in this case'". Nola.com. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
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