Ex-Cop Takes Plea Bargain, Admits To Urinating On Metallica Fan

In the final chapter of Rock Daily's favorite story of 2009, former Massachusetts police officer Joseph Houston pleaded guilty in a plea bargain after being charged with assault and battery and a felony charge of open and gross lewdness, Cape Cod Online reports. That open and gross lewdness? As Rock Daily previously hypothesized and the guilty plea confirms, an inebriated Houston urinated on a fellow concertgoer during Metallica's concert at Boston's TD Banknorth Garden on January 18th.  Fittingly, Houston's mug shot has the then-cop wearing a shirt that says "Alcoholic" in Metallica's trademark font.

After downing roughly six beers before the concert even started, Houston made his way to his seat where he then "physically and verbally harassed a family that had traveled to Boston from out of state and were seated in the row in front of Houston and his brothers," Cape Cod Online reports. Then this happened: "Houston pulled down his pants, exposed his penis and urinated on a man's shirt, seat and the floor beside him, according to what the family told police. With his penis still exposed, Houston lunged at the man's sister, according to the Brewster police investigation."

Houston was also arraigned and faced another trial on charges of trespassing after allegedly re-entering the TD Banknorth Garden after having already been kicked out. With the plea bargain, Houston likely avoids any jail time if he sticks to his probation, reimburses $2,631 in ticket fees to his piss-soaked victim, undergoes alcohol treatment and stays far, far away from the Connecticut family he urinated on. The felony charge of open and gross lewdness was downgraded to a lesser charge of assault and indecent exposure. "If he abides by those conditions for the duration of the continuance, the cases will be dismissed. If he doesn't, then they go to trial," said a spokesperson for the Suffolk District Attorney. Following the incident, Houston's job at the Brewster Police Department was terminated. Houston's lawyer said that his client wants to "put the matter behind him."

Related Stories:

• Massachusetts Cop Reportedly Urinates On Metallica Fan At Concert
• Ex-Cop Charged With Urinating On Metallica Fan At Boston Concert
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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

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