Corey Clark
Denise Fleming/Abaca
Authorities in Sacramento, Calif., however, are sticking to their guns, having cited the singer for misdemeanor battery and alleging that he caused minor injury to a record company executive on Saturday as the two were eating a room-service breakfast at their hotel.
"The facts speak for themselves. There was an altercation between the two," said police spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley, whose his department is still looking into whether to file charges against Clark.
But in a statement release by his publicist, Clark said: "My dancers, crew, management and I were all involved in a food-fight that lasted only a few minutes. With that said, I would like to apologize to any hotel guests and/or staff that may have been inconvenienced as a result of this situation. I trust that the authorities have a clear understanding of what really occurred and after reviewing the facts will rule accordingly."
Clark has been ordered to appear in Sacramento County Superior Court July 22 on the citation, reports the Associated Press. If convicted, he faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
According to Risley, Clark, 24, and record executive Laura Kathleen Troy, 34, of Los Angeles, began arguing over an incident from Clark's Friday night concert at Raley Field in West Sacramento.
A guest in the room next door told police she could hear glass shattering and "a woman screaming over and over, 'Please stop.' She thought she was in mortal danger," Risley said.
When a hotel security guard responded, Clark denied there was a woman in the room but the guard could see Troy's reflection in a mirror, Risley said. The guard reported that Clark became confrontational until Troy emerged and Clark went to another room.
Clark's publicist, Jed Wallace, said police "got there at the tail end of a free-for-all in which everyone was involved. ... It started in fun and it got more serious." Wallace also denied any romantic involvement between Clark and Troy. "It's a strict business relationship."
Risley, however, said that Troy told police she and Clark had been dating since 2003 and that they co-own CDC Records.
Clark, who was ejected from Idol's second season for not disclosing a 2002 misdemeanor arrest (he allegedly assaulted his younger sister in Kansas), told ABC News in May that he had an affair with Abdul, and claimed that she also coached him for the competition. Abdul denied Clark's allegations.
