Ree Drummond’s foster son Jamar Goff was detained months before his September assault arrest for allegedly biting a law enforcement officer, according to court records.
Goff, 23, was taken into custody in May 2025 after allegedly biting a detention or correctional officer’s hand, reports said Wednesday. The incident occurred roughly four months before his Sept. 15 arrest at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on charges including assaulting a police officer and drug possession.
In paperwork from the May case obtained by the outlet, Goff listed a phone number connected to Drummond, 57, as his family contact and identified the Food Network star as his “foster parent.” At that time, Goff was homeless and employed at McDonald’s, according to the documents.
Further details about the May 2025 detention remain unavailable.
Drummond’s representative did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment on the newly surfaced case.
The September arrest that brought Goff’s legal troubles to public attention occurred when police found him shirtless and asleep near a fountain on the Birmingham campus. When officers spoke with him, he allegedly said he was waiting to be sold “ice,” slang for methamphetamine.
He was not initially detained. Officers then discovered an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
During subsequent attempts to detain Goff and transport him to a local hospital, he ran from officials and allegedly struck one of them.
Goff was booked at Jefferson County Jail with bail set at $37,000. He faces charges of assaulting a police officer, drug possession for 1.8 grams of meth, attempting to elude a police officer, and drug paraphernalia possession after officers reportedly found him with a glass pipe.
Drummond has not publicly addressed either of her foster son’s arrests.
The “Pioneer Woman” star and her husband, Ladd Drummond, took Goff into their home in 2018 when he was a teenager. The couple, who operate a ranching operation in Oklahoma, are also parents to four biological children: Alex, Paige, Bryce and Todd.
Goff’s September arrest marked the second known time in 2025 that he has faced charges involving physical altercations with law enforcement. The May biting incident, which had not been previously reported, establishes a pattern of confrontations with officers across multiple jurisdictions.
The Drummonds have largely kept Goff out of the public eye since he joined their family six years ago. Ree Drummond occasionally referenced her foster son in early social media posts about their family life, though mentions became less frequent over time.
The circumstances of Goff’s transition from the Drummond household to his current situation remain unclear. By the time of the May detention, he had listed himself as homeless despite his connection to the prominent family.
Goff’s legal cases in Alabama are ongoing. No court dates have been publicly announced.