Paul Simon, Edie Brickell Arrested for Disorderly Conduct
Police charged Paul Simon and Edie Brickell with a misdemeanor for disorderly conduct Saturday night, after the couple – which has been married since 1992 – engaged in a minor altercation. Leon Krolikowski, Chief of Police for New Canaan, Connecticut, said at a press conference that the responding officer “made the arrest by summons,” requiring them to show up in court without booking them. The chief said he did not know what caused the fight, but he did say neither musician sought medical attention following the arrest nor did they need restraint.
Photo Gallery: Rock Star Mug Shots
“I got my feelings hurt and I picked a fight with my husband,” Brickell said in a statement to Rolling Stone through her attorney. “The police called it disorderly. Thank God it’s orderly now.”
At 8:20 p.m. Saturday, police officers responded to an undisclosed location to investigate a “family dispute,” after Brickell’s mother called 911 and hung up. Krolikowski said the couple was cooperative.
“They’re known well to the community,” he told reporters. “They’re very nice people, very willing to help us when we need help. . . . They’re quiet. They keep to themselves. They’re great people. But it’s unfortunate that this incident occurred.”
Simon, 72, and Brickell, 48, appeared in Norwalk Superior Court on Monday to answer the charges. The couple arrived together and entered the courthouse holding hands, NBC video shows. Both were smiling.
It was revealed in court that one of the musicians pushed the other – “On a scale of one to 10, it was a one,” an attorney said – but it remains unclear who pushed whom.
“Both of us are fine together,” Simon told the judge. “We had an argument. It’s atypical.” The singer-songwriter told the judge that after they left the courthouse they intended to watch their son play baseball, according to NCAdvertiser.com.
“He’s no threat to me at all,” Brickell said.
The case has been continued to mid-May.