Grammy Award-winning Gospel superstar BeBe Winans was recently arrested on domestic violence charges involving an incident with his ex-wife Debra on Valentine’s Day weekend. The alleged physical altercation comes on the heels of the explosive incident involving R&B star Chris Brown and his pop-star girlfriend, Rihanna that catapulted domestic violence to the forefront of American consciousness.
According to police reports, Winans, 46, went to his ex-wife’s Nashville home on the eve of Valentine’s Day and got into a “verbal altercation” involving their children. The situation allegedly degenerated when Winans reportedly pushed his ex-wife to the ground. Winans was booked into the Davidson County jail and was allowed to post a $1000 bond. More problematic for Winans is the fact that he is a long-time friend of Oprah Winfrey, who has publicly chastised Brown for allegedly beating Rihanna and even devoted an entire show to the topic.
Winans, who is best known for his recordings with his sister CeCe, released a statement denying the media accounts of the episode:
“To be accused of these allegations, which arose out of a child custody right dispute and my desire to spend time with our children as [the] court ordered, is nothing less than heart wrenching. Since I choose to say nothing negative about my children’s mother, I will make no comment other than to say the allegations are inconsistent with my character and the foundation upon which I was raised … I am prayerful that the matter is straightened out very soon for the sake of our children.” – terry shropshire
