Alabama Shakes drummer Steven William Johnson will no longer face a charge of child abuse in Limestone County, Alabama.
The musician was charged with willful torture and abuse of a child under the age of 18 earlier this year, before being indicted by a jury.
The grand jury indictment charged him with “willful torture, willful abuse, and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18.”
After months of legal hearing, charges of child abuse have been removed. In a statement, Steven William Johnson’s attorneys Nick Lough and Marcus Helstowski said:
Steve Johnson maintained his innocence throughout the course of this entire ordeal. Just like anyone charged with a crime, Mr. Johnson had to wait for his day in court.
People are quick to make judgments and assumptions based on catchy headlines when cases like this first surface. We’re thankful that after more than a year this allegation has been put to rest and Mr. Johnson’s name has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
With the charges now dismissed, attorney Nick Lough told the AP: “It was a spanking incident and nothing more, and it resulted in a criminal indictment. The charge of child abuse has been dismissed.”
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