Rodney Atkins files for divorce
12/16/2011NASHVILLE -- Rodney Atkins has filed for divorce and his attorney denied Thursday the country singer assaulted his wife last month.
Atkins was arrested Nov. 21 and charged with domestic assault. His wife, Tammy Jo Atkins, told police that after a night of heavy drinking he assaulted her and tried to suffocate her with a pillow. Attorney Rose Palermo said in a statement the allegations of violence are "completely untrue" and that the argument between the couple did not become physical.
Palermo writes of "an unfortunate verbal dispute" that was within hearing range of the couple's young son. When Atkins realized this, "his first priority became getting out of the earshot of the child, and that is when Mrs. Atkins called the police and gave them her version of the argument, which is completely untrue."
The platinum-selling singer is known for No. 1 hits including "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)," "Take a Back Road," and "Watching You."