Friday, Oct. 24, 1997 | 9:57 a.m.
Country-western singer Tracy Lawrence is being forced to return to Nevada to face prosecution on a domestic violence charge.
A summons for the 29-year-old Lawrence to appear in Goodsprings Justice Court was filed Thursday by Deputy District Attorney Bill Berrett, a court clerk said. Lawrence was scheduled to appear for arraignment Dec. 2.
For one night only, Lawrence was the headliner at Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert Arena in Primm. Early the next day, on Sept. 13, Metro Police were called to the resort because his wife of six months, Stephenie Marie Lawrence, 28, was injured allegedly during a 5:15 a.m. argument with Lawrence, according to a police report taken by Officer Richard Staley.
The report said Stephenie Lawrence was hit several times on her head, leaving lumps, and a handful of hair was pulled out of her scalp after she confronted Tracy Lawrence about lying about gambling. Her husband allegedly chased her down the hall, and the couple later returned to their hotel room, continuing the argument, the report says.
Employee Flip Anderson heard the fight, entered the room and ordered Tracy Lawrence "to let his wife go," the report says. Stephenie Lawrence went to a road crew member's room where she called her parents and police. When officers arrived, Tracy Lawrence had already left on a tour bus for the next stop, San Bernardino, Calif., on his tour.
Stephenie Lawrence told Officer Staley that she just wanted to report the incident and not press charges "because she did not want the bad publicity for Tracy Lawrence."
She told police it was the second time her husband had hit her.
Tracy Lawrence, who has since filed for a divorce, did not return a telephone call at his home in Mt. Juliet, Tenn.
Aaron Cohen, spokesman for Primmadonna Resorts, which owns Buffalo Bill's, said the resort hasn't ruled out Lawrence appearing there in the future.
"As far as playing in the future I can't say yes or no," Cohen said. "If Tracy Lawrence is on tour in the future, we'll evaluate that situation at that time."
Lawrence had played once before at Buffalo Bill's, 50 miles southwest on the California-Nevada border.
In 1991, Lawrence got his big break with the album "Sticks and Stones." Since then he has sold more than 5 million albums and has also had 11 chart-topping hits.
Tracy Lawrence was on tour for his latest album, "Time Marches On," which has already gone platinum with the hit songs "If You Loved Me" and "Stars over Texas."
archive
