An attorney for Chris Young is asking that three misdemeanor charges against the country singer be dropped after he was arrested following an alleged fight with state troopers at a Tennessee bar on Monday. And he wants an apology.
The “I'm Comin' Over” and “Famous Friends” musician was arrested at the Dawg House bar in Midtown Nashville and later charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and battery on an officer, according to clerk's records. Nashville criminal court reviewed Wednesday by The Times.
He was arrested and released on a $250 bond on the disorderly conduct charge, a $1,000 bond on the resisting arrest charge and $1,250 on the assault charge, according to court records, and is scheduled to appear in court. on February 16.
According to a copy of the arrest affidavit reviewed by The Times, agents with the state Alcoholic Beverage Commission (ABC) approached the 38-year-old man to conduct compliance checks at the bar next door, Tin Roof, around 8:30 p.m. Young presented his identification to the officers, who scanned it and returned it to him. He asked the officers questions at that time and began recording them. When officers moved to the Dawg House, Young and “multiple” friends followed them, according to the affidavit.
“As I walked out the door, Mr. Young put his hands out to stop me from leaving the bar and punched me in the shoulder,” an officer said in the affidavit. “I then pressured Mr. Young to create distance, as he had no idea who Mr. Young was or what he had.”
Bar patrons stood up and stood between the singer and the officer and began yelling and screaming, according to the affidavit. Another agent also intervened, ordering Young to retreat. Two officers then detained Young and handcuffed him.
“As all of the officers attempted to leave the bar, several people who were with Mr. Young began following the officers and making the incident hostile,” the affidavit said, noting that Young had bloodshot, watery eyes and was dragging words.
However, Young's attorney, Bill Ramsey, disagreed with the officer's comments.
“What happened to my client Chris Young at a bar in Nashville on Monday night was wrong and he should never have been arrested and charged in the first place,” Ramsey said Wednesday in a statement to the Times. “In light of the video evidence, Tennessee ABC must drop the charges and apologize for the physical, emotional and professional harm caused to my client.”
In surveillance footage provided by Ramsey and reviewed by The Times, Young extends his left hand to try to stop one of the officers passing him and the officer immediately shoves him, knocking the singer-songwriter against a high table. Both Young and a stool fall.
Once Young stands up, he extends his arm and begins to walk away from the agent, and clients and friends are seen standing between the two men. Other videos provided by Ramsey show the incident from behind and other angles.
The musician is preparing to release his 18-track album “Young Love & Saturday Nights” in March, his ninth studio album and his biggest album to date. The album comes after his 2021 hits with Kane Brown on “Famous Friends” and with Mitchell Tenpenny on “At the End of the Bar.”
