Left: Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney are pictured at the Universal Music Group 2016 Grammy After Party presented by American Airlines and Citi at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown LA on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group). Right: booking photo of Michelle Branch via Nashville Police.
Authorities in Tennessee have dropped domestic assault charges against singer Michelle Branch some two weeks after she was charged with allegedly assaulting her husband.
According to online court records, the charges against Branch were dismissed Wednesday at the request of the state. People reported that Branch had also appeared in court that day.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Branch was arrested in the early morning hours of Aug. 11 after police had been called to the home she shared with husband Patrick Carney, drummer for the band The Black Keys. According to police documents, Branch told police that she and Carney were having marital issues and had been arguing.
Branch was taken into custody and booked on charges of domestic assault.
Hours earlier, the “Everywhere” singer had apparently tweeted that she had learned that Carney had cheated on her.
“Just found out my husband cheated on me with his manager Haley McDonald from Full Stop Management while I was home with our 6 month old daughter,” Branch reportedly wrote in a tweet at around 1:30 a.m. on Aug. 11.
That tweet was deleted, and Branch later confirmed the couple’s split in a statement.
“To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family,” the “Everywhere” singer told TMZ. “The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”
Branch and Carney, who married in 2019, share a 4-year-old son and a 6-month-old daughter.
Police records show that at the time of Branch’s arrest, both Branch and Carney acknowledged that their argument had turned physical.
“The argument began at another location and continued when they arrived home,” an affidavit in support of Branch’s arrest said. “The argument escalated and Michelle admitted to slapping Patrick in the facial area one to two times.”
The affidavit also said that when police interviewed Carney, he said that “Michelle slapped him during the argument.
“Patrick did not have any visible injuries,” the affidavit noted.
Branch was taken into custody and released on $1,000 bond after seven hours. A court document showed that Judicial Magistrate Bruce Kessler had revised a previously-issued 12-hour hold on Branch by five hours “due to breast feeding infant.”
Branch reportedly filed for divorce the following day. According to court documents reviewed by the Los Angeles Times, Branch cited “irreconcilable differences” and is asking for child support and primary custody of the couple’s children.
Representatives for Branch and the Nashville District Attorney General did not immediately reply to Law&Crime’s requests for comment.
[Picture of Michelle Branch and Patrick Carney via Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Universal Music Group; booking photo of Branch via Nashville Police.]
