Photo: WENN
American Pie singer Don McLean has pleaded not guilty following his recent arrest for domestic violence against his wife.
The 70 year old McLean was arrested at 2am on 18 January and released shortly after paying a $10,000 bail. Yesterday Billboard reported that McLean's attorney says the singer has entered his not guilty plea in writing.
After McLean's arrest, his wife of 30 years, Patricia, filed a handwritten request for protection but the protection order was later dismissed.
ABC News obtained the Rockland District Court order and discovered that Patricia McLean's statement to the police said that her husband has physically and verbally abused her for three decades and has "a violent temper.”
"For the first 10 years or so his rage was unfathomably deep and very scary," she wrote in a statement attached to the protection order. "On 17 Jan, Don terrorized me for 4 hours until the 911 call that I think might have saved my life."
However, after her statement went public she rang the Portland Press Herald and said: “I was blindsided by this report being made public. Don is not a monster."
Meanwhile, McLean took to Twitter to voice his concerns: "This last year and especially now have been hard emotional times for my wife my children and me [...] What is occurring is the very painful breakdown of an almost 30-year relationship."
"Our hearts are broken and we must carry on," he continued. "There are no winners or losers but I am not a villain. I may never recover from this but I will try and hope to continue to entertain you all as I always have."
McLean is set to appear at the Knox County Unified Court, Rockland on 22 February.
This is a very high profile case as the US singer songwriter has amassed more than 40 gold and platinum records during his career.
