Chris Cagle Found Not Guilty

Chris Cagle photo courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

July 25, 2008 — Chris Cagle was found not guilty of domestic violence in a Nashville court yesterday, eight weeks after he made headlines in an early-morning dispute with his girlfriend, Jennifer Tant.

She took the Fifth Amendment on the stand, according to The Tennessean, and refused to testify against him. The assistant district attorney decided not to prosecute Jennifer.

The couple was arrested at Chris’ home on May 28 after police were called to the residence. The two had minor physical marks after allegedly fighting each other with a purse and an umbrella. The police report indicated he was inebriated at the time of his arrest, which included a mandatory 12-hour jail stay.

Chris later issued a statement indicating he was "embarrassed" by the fight and that he took full responsibility for his actions. He disputed, however, the officer’s contention that he was drunk. The feud "was not elevated nor induced because of my being intoxicated," he said. "I’ve worked too hard and come this far. And to prove this, I asked to take a sobriety test and a Breathalyzer test and was denied the opportunity by the officer on the site."

Cagle was found not guilty, the judge said, because the state had not supplied enough evidence to convict him.

His attorney said it was "ridiculous" that Chris was charged in the first place.

Chris has yet another court case in his future. He has a Sept. 23 trial date slated in Tucson, Ariz., where he was charged with assault in December after allegedly punching the boyfriend of a fan who pressed for more autographs after Chris had already signed one for her. Chris also has another Tucson concert date set for Oct. 9.