Cher harassed at Nashville club, man is arrested
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - A Nashville man has been charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication after he repeatedly harassed Cher at the famed honky-tonk Tootsies Orchid Lounge.
Police say 36-year-old Calvin Hutton Houghland tried to make contact with Cher early Wednesday morning and was asked to leave the club. He complied, police said, but returned a short time later and grabbed Cher by the waist as the singer-actress sat in a roped-off area of the lounge.
Houghland was escorted from the bar, but returned again. When security blocked his attempts to approach the singer, Houghland called police to say he'd been assaulted.
Police say Cher declined to prosecute but Houghland asked to be arrested.
Houghland failed a self-requested field sobriety test. His bond was set at $3,000.
I'm wondering if this "self-requested" stuff is police blotter snark, and thinking the exchange went something like this:
Cops: Sir, how much have you been drinking?
Houghland: You callin' me drunk? I ain't drunk! I just want to meet the lady! Give me a breath test, I'll prove it!
Cops: Sir, you're going to have to leave the premises right now, or we'll arrest you.
Houghland: Fine! Arrest me! See if I care!
Of course, this is all just the fertile imagination of a writer who should be working on her project due Saturday.
As for Cher moving to Nashville, well, if it's true, she joins a growing list of entertainers that call this town home. Welcome one and all.
Cops
