'American Pie' Singer-Songwriter Don McLean Facing Domestic Violence Charge

Don Lean, best known for being the singer-songwriter of beloved classic song "American Pie," was arrested last Monday and charged with one account of domestic violence as a misdemeanor in his hometown of Camden, Maine. Details of his arrest are currently scarce.

Local publication, Wiscasset Newspaper, was the first to report McLean's arrest, which occurred at around 2 a.m. last Monday, Jan. 18, when police responded to a 911 call. A short investigation at the scene resulted in the singer-songwriter's arrest, when he was charged with one count of domestic violence assault. He presented no resistance to arrest.

Afterwards, McLean was taken to Knox County Jail, where he was released on bail not too long after. Camden Police Chief Randy Gagne said that the bail had been set at $100,000, which the star posted. He's now scheduled to appear at Rockland's Knox County Unified Court on Feb. 22.

Last year, McLaren auctioned the handwritten lyrics and notes for "American Pie" at Christie's, getting $1.2 million for them and achieving "the third highest auction price for an American literary manuscript," reported CNN at the time.

McLean, currently 70, is mostly retired but still performs occasionally. Last August, the star appeared at the Maine Lobster Festival. He also wrote a song as tribute to Kermit "Kert" Ingraham, a local senior citizen who's known for sitting on the side of the road and waving to everyone who passes by, according to the local paper.

While McLean has led a mostly quiet life outside of his artistic accomplishments, this isn't the first time in the past few years he's had problems with the law. Back in 2013, the musician was fined $400 for driving too fast in a school zone in Maine, and his lawyers argued that the zone had no warning lights regarding the limit, CBS reported. However, his attorneys at the time couldn't be contacted presently in regards of the domestic assault case.