娱乐英语新闻：Kid Rock pleads not guilty to battery charges

U.S. singer Kid Rock attends the funeral ceremony of Atlantic Records co-founder Ahmet Ertegun in Istanbul December 18, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    BEIJING, March 4 (Xinhuanet) -- Kid Rock on Monday pleaded not guilty to battery charges stemming from a fight at a Waffle House in Atlanta last fall, in which he allegedly punched and kicked a victim and hit him with a chair, media reported.

    Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, was not in court but was represented by his attorney, Darryl Cohen, who waived an arraignment hearing and entered the plea on Ritchie's behalf in DeKalb County State Court.

    Ritchie and five members of his entourage were arrested Oct. 21 on a misdemeanor charge of simple battery. The charges stem from a fight at a a metro-Atlanta Waffle House, where they had stopped following his performance at The Tabernacle.

    According to police, a customer at the Waffle House recognized a woman in Kid Rock's party and exchanged words with her, allegedly inciting Kid.

    If convicted of the misdemeanors, Rock could face up to one year in jail plus a 1,000 dollar fine for each charge, public information officer Artealia Gilliard said.