Flavor Flav charged with domestic battery in Nevada
Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav charged with domestic battery (NCD)
ByKelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
HENDERSON, Nev. — Public Enemy co-founder Flavor Flav intends to fight a misdemeanor domestic battery charge stemming from an altercation with his girlfriend at his suburban Las Vegas home, the entertainer’s attorneys said Tuesday.
Officials with the Henderson Police Department confirmed to KVVU-TV that the former rapper and reality TV star, whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr., was arrested Oct. 4 following a report of a domestic disturbance at around 11:40 p.m. in the city’s Green Valley neighborhood.
Records show Drayton was released from jail Oct. 5 on $3,000 bond with an Oct. 25 court date.
According to the criminal complaint, Drayton, 62, is accused of grabbing or poking the woman in the face and of wrestling a phone from her possession, the TV station reported.
The alleged victim, whose name was redacted in the complaint, was identified in court and police documents as a person with whom Drayton has a dating relationship and a minor child in common, KVVU reported.
Their son told police that he stepped in to stop the scuffle when his parents separated and his mother lunged toward Drayton, according to a police report. Officers reported a small cut on the side of the woman’s face “consistent with an altercation taking place.”
The Law Offices of Chesnoff and Schonfeld are representing Drayton, a 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and released the following statement obtained by KTNV: “In alleged domestic violence cases, there are often two sides to the story, and we will explain our side in the courtroom, not in the media.”
Drayton’s criminal history includes arrests and convictions on traffic infractions; a month in jail for assaulting his then-girlfriend in 1991; and three months behind bars for shooting at a neighbor in New York in 1993.
An October 2012 incident led to his arrest on several felony charges after he was accused of wielding knives, chasing and threatening his then-fiancee’s 17-year-old son at their home in Las Vegas. That case was closed in 2014, after Drayton pleaded guilty to reduced charges of misdemeanor attempted battery, served probation and completed a required domestic violence counseling course.
Flavor Flav FREEPORT, NEW YORK--MAY 20: Rapper Flavor Flav (aka William Drayton) of the group Public Enemy appears in a portrait taken at Flavor Flav's Barber Shop on May 20, 1992 in Freeport, New York. (Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Al Pereira/Getty Images)
Flavor Flav LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Flavor Flav attends the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) (David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Flavor Flav NEW YORK - CIRCA 1988: Flavor Flav and Chuck D of the rap group "Public Enemy" perform onstage in circa 1988 in New York, New York. (Photo by Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Flavor Flav NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 15: L-R: Hip Hip artists Pepa (Sandra Denton ) of Salt-n-Pepa, Flavor Flav (William Jonathan Drayton, Jr.) of Public Enemy and Heavy D (Dwight Myers) pose for a photo at a party for the release of Run DMC's album 'Tougher Than Leather' on September 15, 1988 at the Palladium night club in New York City, New York. (Photo by Catherine McGann/Getty Images) (Catherine McGann/Getty Images)
Flavor Flav PHILADELPHIA, PA - AUGUST 31: Chuck D (L) and Flavor Flav performs during the 2013 Budweiser Made In America Festival at Benjamin Franklin Parkway on August 31, 2013 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Flavor Flav Flavor Flav during Billboard R & B / Hip - Hop Conference - Day 3 at Renaissance Waverly Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. (Photo by Rick Diamond/WireImage) (Rick Diamond/WireImage)
Flavor Flav Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav during VH1 Big in '04 - Arrivals at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by SGranitz/WireImage) (Steve Granitz/WireImage via Getty Images)
Flavor Flav NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 25: Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy performs during the 2014 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on April 25, 2014 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic) (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic via Getty Images)
Flavor Flav NEW YORK - 1989: (L-R) Rapper Flavor Flav, director Spike Lee and Chuck D of the rap group 'Public Enemy' film a video for their song 'Fight The Power' directed by Spike Lee in 1989 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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Flavor Flav
Flavor Flav NEW YORK, NY - MAY 28: Musician Flavor Flav promotes the new book "Flavor Flav: The Icon the Memoir" at Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe on May 28, 2011 in New York City. (Photo by Marc Stamas/Getty Images) (Marc Stamas/Getty Images)
Flavor Flav CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 05: Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy perform at House Of Blues Chicago on December 5, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns via Getty Images) (Daniel Boczarski/Redferns via Getty Images)
Flavor Flav Flavor Flav, standing with rapper Tupac Shakur, greets fans backstage during the 1989 American Music Awards, Los Angeles, California, January 30, 1989. (Photo by Clarence Gatson/Gado/Getty Images) (Clarence Gatson/Gado/Getty Images)
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