Chris Young‘s attorney, Bill Ramsey, is speaking out on Young’s behalf, after Young was arrested at a Nashville bar. On Monday, January 21, the Grand Ole Opry member was charged with disorderly conduct, assaulting an officer and resisting arrest after he allegedly interacted with agents from the Alcoholic Beverage Commission at Tin Roof, later following them to DawgHouse.
The agents were reportedly there to do a compliance check at Tin Roof, where Young showed them his ID. According to multiple outlets, Young and his friends then followed the agents to DawgHouse, where one agent said Young laid his hand on the agent’s shoulder, striking him.
As footage has emerged of the incident (available here), it appears that Young was merely engaging the officer in a non-aggressive manner, while the officer then shoved Young so hard he fell over a table.
“What happened to my client Chris Young at a bar in Nashville on Monday night was wrong and he never should have been arrested and charged in the first place,” Ramsey says. “In light of the video evidence, Tennessee ABC needs to drop the charges and apologize for the physical, emotional and professional harm done towards my client.”
Young has yet to publicly comment on the incident.
The news comes at an otherwise promising time in Young’s career. The 38-year-old is enjoying a Top 40 hit with “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” the title track of his forthcoming new album, out on March 22.
“‘Young Love & Saturday Nights’ is a song that just kind of fell in my lap, so to speak,” Young told his record label. “We were having some meetings, people were cycling in and out of the Sony building playing songs for the record. Obviously, I write most of my stuff, but not all. You look at the history of my music, you’ll find a lot of songs that have gone No. 1, and been huge hits for me that I didn’t write as well as the ones I did. And this is one that I definitely wish I had written. I just fell in love with it from first listen; obviously a summer vibe behind this one.”
Young also announced his Young Love & Saturday Nights Tour, kicking off on March 25 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Bryan Martin is serving as the opening act for all dates. Find all of Young’s music and upcoming shows at ChrisYoungCountry.com.