Don McLean, wife agree to dismiss protection order case

CAMDEN, Maine --The attorney for Don McLean said on Sunday the "American Pie" folk singer and his wife have agreed to dismiss an order of protection case that followed the arrest of McLean on a domestic violence charge.

Police arrested McLean on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge on Jan. 18. Court records said his wife filed a handwritten request for protection.

The couple have "agreed to move forward" and dismiss the order of protection case, attorney Walter McKee said. However, McKee also said McLean's criminal case is still due for a Feb. 22 court appearance. The singer, a resident of tony, coastal Camden, Maine, is pleading not guilty, McKee said.

"Neither party is seeking divorce. This now becomes a private matter," McKee said.

McLean's wife, photographer Patrisha McLean, said in a statement she "did not intend to define Don or our relationship" with her protection order request. The request said she feared for her life due to McLean's rage when she called 911. It also documented a pattern of abuse going back decades.

"Don stands by his unwavering statement from the beginning that none of what was alleged in the protection order case was true," read a statement posted on McLean's website. "There was never any abuse or criminal conduct by Don at all. The dismissal of the protection order case will confirm that."

Sunday, Patrisha McLean asked her husband's fans not to focus on his court case. In a statement, she said she didn't know the request for the protection order would become public.

"Don has a big heart. He and I had many happy times in the 30 years of our marriage and what has recently transpired is unfortunate for all of us," she wrote. "I would ask everyone reading this to ignore the sensationalist, scabrous headlines and focus instead on the joy that Don, and his music, has given to so many for so long."

Last Thursday, Don Mclean had issued a statement on his website and social media saying the nearly-30-year relationship is experiencing a "very painful breakdown." He also said he is "not a villain" and that it is an emotional time for his family.

"I may never recover from this but I will try and hope to continue to entertain you all as I always have, and I hope people will realize that this will all be resolved but I hope I will not be judged in this frantic media environment," he wrote.

McLean's signature song "American Pie" topped the Billboard chart 44 years ago. The song was about the deaths of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959.

In:
• Domestic Violence