The lead singer of Alien Ant Farm has been accused by a fan of forcing him to touch his genitals.
via People:
Dryden Mitchell, 46, was charged with misdemeanor battery on Dec. 30, Rolling Stone reported, two months after the incident allegedly occurred at an Alien Ant Farm concert at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts.
PEOPLE independently verified the charge with the Broward County Clerk of Courts.
According to the magazine, in footage recorded at the concert, Mitchell is seen grabbing someone’s hand during their cover performance of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” He then pulls the hand toward his crotch and leaves it there before the fan pulls it away.
The fan, a 45-year-old man from Miami, filed an incident report with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, according to Rolling Stone.
In the report, according to the magazine, the accuser, “stated the reason for the delay in making a police report was because the incident was not sitting well with him,” adding that he didn’t feel it was proper behavior.
Mitchell has not been arrested. It’s unclear if he has an attorney who can comment on his behalf. PEOPLE’s attempts to reach him via his manager were unsuccessful late Thursday.
The fan told the Daily Mail he wants to tell his story, but not just yet.
“I do want to tell my story but I do have to listen to my civil lawyers,” the man said. “I’ll be more than happy to speak later. I do want the story out there because what happened was not right.”
Alien Ant Farm is currently comprised of members Mitchell, Mike Cosgrove, Terry Corso and Tim Peugh. Their cover of “Smooth Criminal” topped the Billboard Alternative charts in 2001.
We didn’t even know Alien Ant Farm was still an active band. Dryden, are you okay?
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