James Brown Released From Jail
Singer Accused Of Domestic Abuse
POSTED: 12:38 p.m. EST January 29, 2004
Legendary soul singer James Brown was released from a South Carolina jail Thursday on a personal recognizance bond.
The decision by the court means that Brown, 70, did not have to put up any money to be released.
Brown was charged Wednesday after an alleged domestic violence incident at his Beech Island, S.C., home.
According to investigators on the case, Brown allegedly pushed his wife, 33-year-old Tomi Rae Brown, to the floor after an argument in the couple's bedroom.
Aiken County sheriff Lt. Michael Frank added that Brown's wife also had scratches and bruises on her arm and hip and was taken to the hospital.
Brown told the court Thursday morning that he loved his wife very much and would never hurt her.
The singer -- who is also known by the monikers "The Godfather of Soul," "Soul Brother No. 1" and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business - has recorded such hits as "I Got You (I Feel Good)," "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine, Pt. 1" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag."
His honors include an induction into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and, most recently, a Kennedy Center honor in December.
Brown's run-in with the law Wednesday wasn't his first. He served 2.5 years in prison after a 1988 arrest on drug and assault charges and was also convicted of a drug-related offense in 1998.
The singer was granted a pardon by the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in May.
