Police: Travis not drunk in minor assault

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PLANO, Texas, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. country gospel music singer Randy Travis was not drunk when he was cited for assault after having a minor altercation with a man in Texas, police told UPI.

"The assault was very minor," Plano, Texas, officer David Tilley told United Press International Friday afternoon.

"He was issued a ticket for the Class C assault, which is the lowest penalty anyone can be charged with here in Texas," Tilley said.

The gossip Web site TMZ earlier reported Travis was involved in a drunken fight with a man in a Plano church parking lot.

"I don't know who their source is. I don't care who their source is. I'm going to go based on the official police report," Tilley told UPI.

Tilley said police responded to a disturbance call between 10 and 10:30 p.m. Thursday night in the giant parking lot outside the Prestonwood Baptist Church, one of the largest megachurches in North America.

"A husband and wife who are estranged had a verbal altercation," Tilley said. "The wife is a female acquaintance of Mr. Travis. He intervened and allegedly assaulted the husband."

"There were no reported injuries," he said. "Transport to the hospital was refused."

Travis was issued the citation and released.

"There is nothing in the official police report to indicate anyone at the incident was intoxicated," Tilley told UPI.

TMZ quoted an unidentified law-enforcement source as saying Travis appeared to be "extremely intoxicated."

Tilley also said he "was not given any indicators [Travis] was uncooperative at all. It does not appear there were any issues at all in dealing with him."

Travis has had alcohol-related police run-ins in recent months, Tilley said, but "this is a separate incident and needs to be looked at on a separate basis."

Travis, 53, was arrested Aug. 7 after being found naked, drunk and passed out in the middle of a road in Grayson County, Texas, after crashing his 1998 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am in a construction zone. When police tried to arrest him, he allegedly threatened the lives of the arresting officers, police said at the time.

They arrested him for driving while intoxicated and for retaliation against law enforcement officials. He posted $21,500 bail.

Travis was arrested Feb. 6 for public intoxication while sitting in his car at a Baptist church in Sanger, Texas. He paid a fine and was placed on probation that is to expire Sept. 23.

Travis has sold more than 25 million records and has won six Grammy Awards, six Country Music Association awards and nine Academy of Country Music awards.

He has also appeared in films and TV series including 1997's "The Rainmaker" with Matt Damon, 1998's "Black Dog" with Patrick Swayze, 2001's "Texas Rangers" with James Van Der Beek and seven episodes of the "Touched by an Angel" TV series.