Published January 13, 2015
Former American Idol (search) contestant Corey Clark (search) apologized Tuesday for what he said was a weekend food fight that got out of control and landed him a citation for battery. Former American Idol contestant Corey Clark apologized Tuesday for what he said was a weekend food fight that got out of control and landed him a citation for battery.
Sacramento police disputed Clark's account of the incident, which Clark called "a huge misunderstanding."
"My dancers, crew, management and I were all involved in a food-fight that lasted only a few minutes," Clark said in a statement released by his publicist. "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, 24, was ordered to appear in Sacramento County Superior Court July 22 on the citation for misdemeanor battery, which alleges that he caused minor injury to CDC Records company executive Laura Kathleen Troy (search), 34, of Los Angeles. The incident occurred Saturday as the two were eating a room-service breakfast at Sacramento's Sheraton Grand Hotel.
If convicted, Clark faces up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. A spokeswoman for the Sacramento County district attorney's office said police had not yet forwarded a case, which the office needs to make a decision on whether to file charges.
"The facts speak for themselves. There was an altercation between the two," police spokesman Sgt. Justin Risley said.
Clark and Troy were consistent on that account when they were interviewed Saturday, Risley said, after they 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.
Troy told police that Clark knocked over several items and threw others, including a filled cereal bowl that shattered against a wall, Risley said. She said Clark yelled at her and grabbed her, leaving marks on her arm.
Police said Clark also had marks on his arms, which Clark said he may have received when he bumped a wall trying to squeeze past Troy to leave the room.
Clark's publicist, Jed Wallace, said police "got there at the tail end of a free-for-all in which everyone was involved." About five people were "letting off steam," Wallace said in a telephone interview Tuesday. "It started in fun and it got more serious."
He also said reports that Clark and Troy were romantically involved are "100% not true. It's a strict business relationship."
Risley said Troy told police she and Clark had been dating since 2003 and that they co-own the record company.
Clark re-emerged into the public spotlight recently when he alleged that he had an affair with American Idol judge Paula Abdul (search) and that she coached him on how to do better during the 2003 competition. Abdul denied his claims.
Clark was dismissed from the Fox network show for not disclosing that he had a 2002 misdemeanor arrest alleging he assaulted his younger sister in Kansas.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/corey-clark-apologizes-for-food-fight