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Kid Rock avoids jail in battery case
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nine months after his Waffle House arrest in DeKalb County on battery charges, hick-hopper Kid Rock has pleaded no contest to one count of battery in DeKalb County State Court, putting the whole covered-and-smothered saga behind him.
The performer legally known as Robert J. Ritchie was sentenced to 12 months of probation, six hours of anger management counseling and 80 hours of community service. The musician was fined $1,000 plus $300 in court costs. Four other counts of battery were dropped.
Last October, the performer, his band members and crew were eating at a Buford Highway Waffle House after a sold-out show at the Tabernacle downtown when the group got into an altercation with fellow diner Harlem DeJon Akins.
Ritchie and company made national headlines after being processed at the DeKalb County Jail. His smiling mug shot ended up on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” MTV and various other media outlets.
In March, the rapper rocker returned to Georgia to sign autographs and meet fans at a Gwinnett County Waffle House as a fund-raiser for Nicholas House. The media and fan frenzy raised more than $12,000.
Said Mr. Rock at the time: “I came back to do something nice for Atlanta. I just wanted to give something back.”
But after taking a look at the Waffle House surveillance tape supplied to Buzz Central on Tuesday, Rock was probably right to plead out. On the four video recordings, shot from various angles inside and outside the eatery, Rock and company are seen wailing on Akins at his table before the fight is taken outside. More blows are exchanged as Akins is chased around the parking lot and finally a plate glass window is shattered. There was no audio on the tape.
DeKalb County Solicitor-General Robert James Jr. told us Tuesday the video footage of the fight, along with a descriptive 911 call by an eyewitness, would likely have been key pieces of evidence if the case had proceeded to trial.
“We got a conviction,” James told us. “I was hoping for some jail time for Mr. Ritchie. But that’s not my call to make. As far as I’m concerned, Mr. Ritchie and his associates’ conduct was reprehensive and unacceptable.”
The DeKalb County district attorney’s office is still investigating the case against Akins.
Fans shouldn’t expect to see Kid Rock picking up any local litter as part of his community service.
DeKalb County solicitor-general public information officer Artealia Gilliard said Tuesday the Michigan native may well ask to have his community service transferred to his place of residence.
TY BACK IN TOWN
Former Grant Park resident and Atlanta native Ty Pennington, known as the whirling dervish on the set of ABC’s hit show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” is now hawking a new drug to control his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Pennington came into Atlanta on Tuesday to introduce the drug Vyvanse as a paid spokesman.
“It works for me,” he told us. “Now I can finish a thought, finish a sentence.”
He said he grew up without medication and had trouble focusing.
“My mom was studying child psychology when I was a kid, and she asked for the worst child in the class to observe. That ended up being me!” he said. “While she watched, I probably jumped on my desk, swung from the blinders and set a small fire in the back of the room. Let’s just say I was a bit of a distraction.”
Pennington, started on meds in college.
“I have the best job in the world,” Pennington said of his life now. “What other show can I be creative as an artist and change someone’s life, too?”
SIPS OF SUGARLAND
Decatur’s Eddie’s Attic, where Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush met, celebrated the release of the superstar country duo’s new CD this week without them. And if the turnout for the listening party for the deluxe, fan edition of “Love On The Inside” is any indication, the duo may very well give teen juggernaut Miley Cyrus a run for her first-week sales money. The intimate venue was packed Monday night with a heavily female crowd clamoring for Sugarland posters, stickers and pens and a special $6.50 Sugarland drink (made with Absolut Kurant and homemade lemon simple syrup).
The act was preparing for appearances Tuesday on “Good Morning America” and “The View.” The duo sent a video greeting, however. But they missed hearing heart-tugging comments from Eddie’s Attic owner Eddie Owen, who recalled seeing Nettles’ star start to rise. “There wasn’t a prouder person in America than me,” he said. And when Owen rang Nettles to tell her that, she asked who was on the line, and he replied: “I’m just a fan.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Radio personality Don Imus is 68. Actor Woody Harrelson is 47. Actor Eriq Lasalle (“ER”) is 46. Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman is 41. Country singer Alison Krauss is 37. Actor Omar Epps is 35. Singer Michelle Williams (Destiny’s Child) is 28. Actor Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter” movies) is 19.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
“The Dark Knight” actor Christian Bale on Tuesday denied allegations of assault made by his mother and sister, hours after he was arrested, questioned by London police and released.
The 34-year-old actor spent four hours at a police station but was not charged and was released on bail. British media reported that Bale’s mother and sister complained he had assaulted them at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Sunday night, a day before the European premiere of “The Dark Knight.”
Bale’s London-based law firm, Schillings, issued a statement denying that an assault took place.
“Christian Bale attended a London police station today on a voluntary basis,” the statement read. Bale denies the allegation and “cooperated throughout.”
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Sonia Murray and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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