Lou Rawls won't face battery charges

Jet, June 2, 2003

The battery charges against renowned entertainer Lou Rawls, who was accused of shoving his girlfriend at an Albuquerque, NM, hotel earlier this year, were recently dropped when a judge tossed out the charges.

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Judge Victoria Grant ruled that unreliable and unlawful hearsay shouldn't be used to support the allegations, when prosecutors admitted there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case, according to Rawls' publicist, David Brokaw.

"Nina and I are very much in love, we have established a new home together, and we look forward to spending the rest of our lives together," the 67-year-old singer said in a statement.

"The incident was never an unlawful act, and I am relieved that I have been vindicated," he said.

Police from Albuquerque's international airport were called to a hotel near the airport, said Marshall Katz, aviation police chief.

Rawls' companion, Nina Inman, told officers she and Rawls had been talking about their relationship when the conversation escalated into a shoving match, police said.

Officers arrested Rawls and booked him into the Bernalillo County Detention Center on one count of battery on a household member (JET, Feb. 3).

The 67-year-old singer, whose hits include You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, A Natural Man and Dead End Street, was in Albuquerque to perform two concerts at Iseleta Pueblo's casino south of the city.