Ray J
Ray J

BEVERLY HILLS—R&B singer Ray J was arraigned on sexual battery and resisting arrest charges in court on Tuesday, August 19.

According to a press release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, Ray J whose real name is Willie Ray Norwood, 33, pleaded not guilty from his attorney to four misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, vandalism, battery on a police officer and resisting/delaying a peace officer.

Ray J was arrested on May 30 by officers from the Beverly Hills Police Department after they received a report of a sexual battery at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel located on the 9500 block of Wilshire Blvd. According to authorities, the defendant allegedly grabbed the buttocks of a female at the bar inside the hotel. TMZ later reported that it was not a woman’s buttocks  Ray J grabbed, but allegedly he grabbed her breasts.

Mr. Norwood spoke to officers and agreed to leave the hotel, but entered the valet region and became belligerent with valet patrons and refused to leave. While in police custody, Ray J shattered the side window of the police vehicle that he was put into. To restrain the suspect, police removed him from the vehicle to restrain his feet, and that’s when Ray J became combative with authorities and spat in the face of an officer.

He is expected to appear back in court on August 28 for a pretrial hearing at the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Airport Branch inDept.143. If convicted on all counts, the singer could face a maximum of four years in county jail.

By LaDale Anderson