Chris Young, who will release the new album Young Love & Saturday Nights on March 22, was arrested on Monday night at a Nashville bar after allegedly getting into a confrontation with an agent for the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
According to arrest documents obtained by Rolling Stone, Young, 38, was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and assault of an officer.
The incident apparently stemmed from a routine compliance check of identification and license cards by the TABC of bars on Demonbreun Hill, a popular strip of nightclubs in Nashville. While the TABC was checking the IDs of patrons drinking at the bar Tin Roof, Young offered his, and then apparently began questioning and filming the agents.
According to the document, Young and “multiple friends” then followed the agents to the Dawg House, a bar next door. Young allegedly blocked an agent from exiting that establishment. “While walking to the door Mr. Young put his hands out to stop me from leaving the bar and struck me on the shoulder,” the agent said in the affidavit. “I then pushed Mr. Young to create distance since I had no idea of who Mr. Young was or what he had.”
The affidavit says a confrontation ensued; Young was detained and placed in handcuffs. The report notes that Young’s eyes were bloodshot and watery, and his speech was slurred. Young was booked into the Metro jail and released Tuesday morning.
A representative for Young did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
Young, a native of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and a member of the Grand Ole Opry, is known for such Number One hits as “You,” “I’m Comin’ Over,” and various collabs, including “Sober Saturday Night” with Vince Gill, “Famous Friends” with Kane Brown, and “At the End of a Bar” with Mitchell Tenpenny. His current single, “Young Love & Saturday Nights,” interpolates the guitar riff from David Bowie’s 1974 rock hit “Rebel Rebel.”