Country singer Randy Travis has been arrested after being found "drunk and naked" near a crashed car. The American star, who has sold more than 20m albums, was charged with driving while intoxicated and could face further charges after allegedly threatening police.
Travis, who is 53 and has had 16 No 1s on the Billboard country charts, was discovered on Tuesday night after police were called to the scene in Tioga, Texas. The officers were responding to a 911 call from a clerk at a convenience store, according to NBC, who complained that a naked man had come in and tried to buy cigarettes. The man reportedly became angry when the clerk asked how he would pay for the pack. A little while later, another 911 report described a naked man lying by the side of the road. When officers arrived, they found Travis bruised and smelling of alcohol near to where a Pontiac Trans Am had crashed into a set of construction barricades.
Confronted by police, Travis refused to take a breath test, the LA Times reported. When they insisted on taking him into the sheriff's office, the singer allegedly threatened to "shoot and kill the officers working the case". He was finally released on Wednesday morning, after posting bail of $21,500 (£13,700). The musician was photographed leaving the station without any shoes.
Although the drink-driving charge is relatively minor, punishable by no more than six months in jail, Travis will have more to worry about if charged for his threats against the officers. That crime is a felony, with a penalty of up to six years in jail.
Travis was arrested in February this year, when he was found drunk outside a church in Sanger, Texas. He is also embroiled in divorce proceedings with Lib Hatcher, his wife of 19 years and his former manager.
