Wife: Don McLean "terrorized me"

CAMDEN, Maine -- Don McLean's wife was granted a temporary order of protection from the "American Pie" singer after she cited a pattern of abuse going back three decades.

Police in Maine arrested McLean on a misdemeanor domestic-violence charge on Monday, and court records show that his wife then filed a handwritten request for protection.

Patrisha McLean wrote that in the early years of their marriage, McLean's rage was "unfathomably deep and scary." She said McLean's abuse often left her bruised, and that she feared for her life when she called 911 from the bathroom of their Camden home this week. "Don terrorized me for four hours, until the 911 call that I think might have saved my life," she wrote.

Don McLean issued a statement on Thursday 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 was released on bail and is due in court Feb. 22. His attorney, Walter McKee, said McLean will plead not guilty when the case returns to court. He also said McLean "vigorously denies" his wife's allegations.

"Don was arrested based on his wife's allegations alone. There are two sides to the story here and at the right time Don's side will be told," McKee told the Portland Press Herald."Suffice to say he will make clear that he engaged in zero criminal behavior this past weekend."

In:
• Domestic Violence