It's no mistake that Randy Travis is a country singer. The star's exploits often sound like they were cribbed from the lyrics of a honky-tonk song, or at the very least the pieces of one in the making.
Just a couple weeks after being arrested and cited for driving drunk, the 53-year-old found himself on the wrong side of the law yet again--this time for fighting in a Texas church parking lot.
The incident happened on Thursday night in the parking lot of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, said the city's police spokesman, who tried to downplay reports that the singer was drunk at the time.
"Witnesses are reporting and our investigation revealed that Mr. Travis assaulted the husband," said Officer David Tilley, adding that Travis was a friend of the woman.
The exact nature of the contact remains unclear, but Tilley said neither the husband nor anyone else at the scene reported an injury. Travis' misdemeanor citation for simple assault is the equivalent of a traffic ticket.
"It must have been something very minor, I can tell you that," Tilley said, adding that a citation for assault can cover an offense such as unwanted physical contact.
According to a report from TMZ, police arrived to the church in response to a call about two men brawling outside. Tilley explained that the scuffle was reported around 10 p.m. Thursday night, and that Travis was fighting with his alleged girlfriend's estranged husband.
The spouses were reportedly arguing over a family issue. "Randy intervened and reportedly an assault took place," Tilley noted.
He added that no injuries were reported and that he had no reason to believe Travis was drunk. "It's nothing more than what we run into on a regular basis."
Travis was cited for simple assault, which is considered a minor misdemeanor on the level of a traffic offense. Plano is about an hour's drive from Travis's hometown of Tioga, Texas.
This marks the third time this year that Travis has been in trouble with police. His earlier arrest this month was marked by bizarre behavior--entering a convenience store stark naked to buy cigarettes--as well as crashing his car. In February, he was found drinking in a different church parking lot and cited for public intoxication. He claimed at that time that he was celebrating Super Bowl Sunday. There has been no comment yet from his camp on his latest issue.
The North Carolina-born country singer, known for hits like "Out of My Bones" and "Forever and Ever, Amen", will have to contact a local court to deal with the citation. Jail time is not normally administered in such cases.
Representatives for Travis could not be reached for comment.
Tilley disputed media reports Travis was intoxicated at the time of the dispute. "I've seen the reports and I don't know where they're getting this information," he said.
Earlier this month, Travis was charged with drunk driving and retaliation after a Texas state trooper found him lying naked on a road near where his Pontiac Trans Am had run into highway construction barriers, the Grayson County Sheriff's Office said at the time.