Crime & Arrests

Michelle Branch has filed for divorce from Patrick Carney, a move that comes just days after cheating allegations and the singer's domestic assault arrest.

Branch filed divorce docs in Tennessee Friday, obtained by TMZ, she states irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

Michelle and Carney, who is the drummer of The Black Keys, have two young kids together. She's asking for child support and for custody ... but to allow for Patrick to have time with the kids. Branch is also requesting Patrick pay legal fees.

The estranged couple is also required to complete a parenting court, which the judge orders in all cases out of that specific court.

TMZ broke the story, Michelle and Patrick split last week just hours after she tweeted out accusing him of cheating. At the time, Michelle told us, "To say that I am totally devastated doesn’t even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”

However, we learned shortly after the tweet, cops were called to Patrick and Michelle's home -- where the singer admitted to striking her husband one or two times in the face -- she was arrested for domestic assault. She was released from custody shortly after the arrest because she's breastfeeding their infant daughter.

Brittney Griner is fighting back in her drug case in Russia -- formally filing an appeal of her conviction in the foreign country, days after she was sentenced to 9 years behind bars there.

Griner's attorney confirmed the filing to CNN on Monday. It's not immediately known what the grounds of the appeal are, or when it will be heard in court.

The move, though, was expected -- after Griner was convicted and sentenced on Aug. 4. The WNBA superstar admitted to having hashish oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport, but she told a courtroom she packed it inadvertently and had no intentions at all of breaking the law.

Regardless of the appeal process, the U.S. -- which has called Griner wrongfully detained -- is continuing attempts to strike a prisoner swap deal with Russia in order to bring the 31-year-old home.

"I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends and teammates," Biden said following her conviction earlier this month.

"My administration will continue to work tirelessly and pursue every possible avenue to bring Brittney and Paul Whelan home safely as soon as possible."

R. Kelly was once prosecuted for allegedly abusing a minor -- an infamous case from 2008 in which she never testified ... but that's all about to change now as he heads to trial anew.

The disgraced singer, who's already been convicted of sex crimes in New York and faces 30 years behind bars, has another day in court ahead of him. Come Monday, his federal trial in Chicago -- for which he's facing similar charges and sentencing -- is going to begin.

On top of the 4 accusers in this Chicago case -- all of whom will testify -- the woman who Kelly was accused of urinating on on tape at just age 14, among other heinous crimes, is set to take the stand as well ... to speak on the '08 case and her experience with him in general.

Per new court filings, cited by AP, prosecutors say the unidentified alleged victim from back then -- now in her 30s -- will address claims that R. Kelly rigged the 2008 case in an attempt to obstruct justice ... including allegedly paying off/threatening this woman at the time.

Many will recall ... Kelly was acquitted and went free, largely because the alleged victim refused to cooperate and testify. Now, it appears she'll explain why that happened, from her perspective, for the first time ever. Her identity has remained hidden all these years.

There's more ... these new filings say prosecutors plan to play that same VHS tape from '08 in court again as this current trial fires up. In addition to that, there are reportedly going to be at least 3 other videos presented as evidence in court. Unclear if they all pertain to 2008.

Prosecutors claim that R. Kelly had sex with/recorded the 2008 alleged victim hundreds of times between 1998 and 2000, a period when she was as young as 13 years old. They also acknowledge that some of these sex tapes had been stolen and peddled on the street.

Kim Zolciak-Biermann's daughter, Ariana, was arrested for DUI this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

The 20-year-old social media influencer and reality star was busted Saturday in Forsyth County, GA, and then booked on 3 separate charges ... misdemeanor DUI driving under the influence of alcohol, misdemeanor improper/erratic lane change and underage alcohol possession/purchase of alcohol -- this according to jail records and personnel.

We're told she bonded out the same day -- unclear what time of day this was, but we imagine it was early morning. There's no narrative yet on what exactly may have happened, but we do know her on-and-off boyfriend, 20-year-old Hudson McLeroy, was also arrested on alcohol-related charges this morning ... seemingly while he was with Ariana in the car.

He was also booked for DUI, plus furnishing/purchasing alcohol under 21 and violating his driving permit. Based on Ariana's charges, though, it would appear she was behind the wheel in this instance. Hudson has since been released on bond ... so they're both out.

The only other thing of note is that Ariana was processed with the surname Zolciak (her mom's maiden name), and not her adopted father's name, Biermann. Kroy Biermann adopted both Ari and Brielle back in 2013 -- but it's unclear who their biological father(s) are.

In any case ... she's got a court date ahead of her. And, she'll have company too, it seems.

Michelle Branch was arrested for allegedly slapping her estranged husband, Patrick Carney, in the face ... this in the wake of her claim he cheated on her.

According to docs out of Nashville, obtained by TMZ, on Thursday at around 2 AM police were called to their home for a possible domestic disturbance. Michelle admitted she had slapped Patrick in the face "one to two times," according to court docs.

Patrick did not have any visible injuries and Michelle was taken into custody. Her bail was set at $1,000 ... and it appears she was released from custody early because she's breastfeeding the couple's 6-month-old.

TMZ broke the story, Branch and Carney are splitting after 3 years of marriage. She told us Thursday, "To say that I am totally devastated doesn't even come close to describing how I feel for myself and for my family. The rug has been completely pulled from underneath me and now I must figure out how to move forward. With such small children, I ask for privacy and kindness.”

The split announcement came just hours after Michelle tweeted accusing Carney of cheating.

Michelle was previously married to Teddy Landau from 2004 to 2015, but married Carney in 2019.

Novelist Salman Rushdie, who has received death threats for years because of his work, was just attacked and possibly stabbed during an event.

The author, who was formerly married to "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi, was set to give a speech Friday at the Chautauqua Institution in New York. Reports say Rushdie was on stage, when someone jumped up and struck him multiple times. Reports say Rushdie was stabbed during the incident.

His current condition is unknown, but the attacker has reportedly been taken into custody.

Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses," sparked tons of controversy in the 80's ... with the book getting banned from Iran for being deemed blasphemous, as it had references that mocked the Prophet Muhammad and Islamic culture as a whole.

In 1989, Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini called on Muslims to kill the Indian-born writer and his publishers because of what he wrote.

Police say security footage of OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor getting physical with her now-deceased BF Christian Obumseli was from just months before his murder ... and her arrest warrant paints a gruesome picture of Christian's death.

According to the warrant, obtained by TMZ, the elevator security footage was taken in February ... in the video, it appears that Courtney is unable to select her floor, resulting in her punching the screen in frustration.

Christian appears to enter after her, and tries to calm her down, she then turns to him and begins hitting him. She continues to beat him and tug on his hair before he tries to hold her down and push her back.

As we reported, Courtney was charged with second-degree murder Wednesday in connection to Christian's death.

According to the warrant, "Courtney and Christian had a tempestuous relationship since Nov 2020, with multiple incidents of domestic violence from both sides over the period of the relationship."

The docs say Courtney was even arrested in July of last year in Vegas for domestic battery against him.

Cops say her mom confirmed she was on the phone with Courtney at the time of the stabbing and told officers she heard her daughter yelling at Christian to leave and saying he was "lying."

Marshawn Lynch was dragged out of his car by the hood of his sweatshirt and forcibly thrown to the ground during his DUI arrest earlier this week ... new police video shows.

In the footage, which was captured shortly after cops had begun questioning the former NFL star on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas, you can see Lynch was leaned back in the driver's seat of a 2020 Shelby GT500 -- appearing to be uncooperative with cops who were asking him to get out of the ride.

The officers can be heard in the video asking Lynch repeatedly to step out of the car -- but Lynch refused continuously, asking over and over again why he had to leave the vehicle.

After officers told him he was "obstructing an investigation," one of the cops reached in and grabbed him by the orange sweatshirt he was wearing.

The cop then threw the ex-Seattle Seahawks running back on the ground ... and told him, "Roll over. Hands behind your back. No more games today."

Officers then can be heard on the video saying he smelled like alcohol.

In police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, cops say when they got Lynch back to the station, he was uncooperative there -- and said they "had to use a restraint chair" to draw blood from him after obtaining a search warrant.

Lynch was ultimately booked on several charges, including DUI. He's due in court for a hearing on the matter in December.

The 36-year-old's attorneys, Richard A. Schonfeld and David Z. Chesnoff, released a statement on the matter Thursday afternoon ... saying, "Marshawn was not pulled over for a DUI. Rather the vehicle was safely parked and not in operation. We are confident that when all evidence is presented, this will not be a DUI under Nevada law. Marshawn appreciates and is thankful for everyone’s concern and support."

OnlyFans model Courtney Tailor has been charged with murder in connection to the killing of her boyfriend earlier this year.

Tailor was reportedly arrested in Hawaii on Wednesday on a second-degree murder charge. She's said to have been in rehab there but, according to her attorney, who spoke to the Miami Herald, she's expected to be extradited to Florida soon.

Her lawyer adds ... "I'm completely shocked, especially since we were cooperating with the investigation and offered to voluntarily surrender her if she were charged. We look forward to clearing her name in court."

The arrest comes months after authorities were investigating the stabbing death of Christian Obumseli -- who was found deceased in the couple's Miami apartment. Tailor had previously told cops she did, in fact, stab him with a knife ... but insisted it was in self-defense.

Surveillance video from inside shows Tailor, after the fact, covered in blood from head to toe.

It initially seemed as though her explanation had worked, but now prosecutors apparently think there is enough evidence to prosecute her. Obumseli's family has insisted all along that they believe she killed him in cold blood.

Things weren't looking good for her, publicly, in the immediate aftermath of the incident. People dug up old interviews of her saying questionable things -- and she got confronted in a hotel lobby by an outraged bystander.

Marshawn Lynch's car appeared undrivable by the time cops arrived and busted him for DUI on Tuesday ... with one tire completely missing, and at least one other flattened.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the 2020 Shelby GT500 cops believe Lynch was driving prior to his arrest ... showing the front-left wheel's rim resting on the pavement, with no tire in sight.

Witnesses tell us they saw Lynch parked at the scene around 5:45 AM -- roughly two hours before his arrest -- and claim at one point, the running back exited his car to sit on the curb with the driver-side door wide open.

We're told Lynch remained at the scene until cops arrived ... who ultimately determined he was impaired and arrested him for driving under the influence.

We're told Lynch left a trail of damage on the road until his car reached its resting point ... with visible marks on the pavement and curbs. As we previously reported, sources say Lynch was driving into roadside curbs prior to the arrest.

Lynch was taken to jail and booked for DUI -- he's also facing charges of failure/refusing to surrender proof of security, unregistered vehicle and failure to drive in a travel lane.

Ex-NFL star running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday ... after cops claim he was driving under the influence.

LVMPD says 36-year-old Lynch was pulled over near the Las Vegas Strip on Fairfield Avenue and West Utah Avenue around 7:25 AM on Tuesday. Sources tell TMZ Sports he was driving into curbs on the side of the road before the traffic stop.

After speaking with Lynch, cops believe he was driving under the influence ... and was taken to jail.

Lynch did not submit to a breathalyzer, but we're told he had his blood drawn.

Marshawn played for 12 seasons in the league ... winning Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks in Feb. 2014.

Lynch -- who played for the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks and Oakland Raiders during his career -- is a 5-time Pro Bowler and 2-time NFL rushing touchdown leader.

In the regular season, he had 10,413 rushing yards, 85 rushing TDs, 2,214 receiving yards and 9 receiving TDs.

Off the field, Lynch co-owns the Beasts of the Fan Controlled Football league ... and Bay Area Panthers in Indoor Football League.

It's not the first time Lynch has been arrested for DUI -- in 2012, he was busted after cops determined his blood alcohol level was above the .08 limit while driving in Oakland.

Story developing ...

Slim Jxmmi, one half of the rap duo Rae Sremmurd -- had a not-so-nice welcome home when he touched down in L.A. ... after authorities discovered there was an outstanding warrant out for his arrest.

LAX law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... when Slim flew in from Canada Sunday, Customs and Border Patrol agents took him into custody. We're told Slim had a warrant out of Georgia stemming from a prior arrest involving possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

We're told Georgia authorities have already gotten a judge to authorize extradition from L.A. to Georgia. He's currently in custody in L.A. being held without bail. The stakes are high ... the maximum sentence in the Georgia case is 30 years in prison.

This isn't the only legal issue he faces ... TMZ broke the story, Slim Jxmmi was arrested back in January for battery after an alleged fight with his girlfriend.

We spoke with him in March after a training session at Dogpound Gym in West Hollywood, and he told us he was looking forward to making some positive changes in his life and, "Be done with the stupid s***."

Jxmmi's attorney, Steve Sadow, says the whole thing happened because of a miscommunication, telling us, "Nearly two years ago, Aaquil entered a plea to a marijuana offense in Cobb County, Georgia. He was placed on probation. In early June 2022, the mother of his child filed a untruthful complaint with the Cobb County Police Department, which led to an arrest warrant being issued."

He continues, "Aaquil was not arrested on that warrant. Instead, a Cobb County Magistrate Judge held a hearing on July 20, 2022 and dismissed the warrant. Unfortunately, the Cobb County Probation Office was not made aware that the arrest warrant was dismissed and thus failed to withdraw its probation violation warrant. When Aaquil came back from Canada into LA airport, he was arrested on the probation violation warrant. We expect that warrant to be withdrawn in the next day or so, and then Aaquil will be released.”

Ezra Miller has been accused of burglarizing a home in Vermont ... and police say the whole thing had to do with some stolen bottles of alcohol.

According to the Vermont State Police ... someone lodged a burglary complaint regarding a home in Stamford at the beginning of May.

Cops investigated, and say several bottles of alcohol were reported missing from the place while the homeowners were out ... after reviewing surveillance videos and statements, Ezra was charged with felony burglary into an unoccupied dwelling.

Ezra was finally found on Sunday night and ordered to appear at Vermont Superior Court Bennington's Criminal Division for their arraignment towards the end of September.

Fetty Wap’s pot of legal hot water just raised its temperature now that the “Trap Queen” rapper was just arrested.

According to the arrest warrant — obtained by TMZ — Fetty was arrested in New Jersey by the FBI on Monday … stemming from a December 2021 call where prosecutors claim he waved a gun and threatened to kill a man who called Fetty “a rat” AKA a snitch.

Officials say Fetty’s possession of the firearm violated the conditions put in place when Fetty was released from custody on a $500K bond following his arrest in October 2021 on drug trafficking charges.

Eddie Deezen, known for playing Eugene Felsnic in "Grease," has been found not competent to stand trial for allegedly burglarizing a nursing home.

The commitment order, obtained by TMZ, shows Deezen's unable to stand trial because of a mental disorder, and he's been transferred to the Maryland Department of Health for treatment.

The document says he's considered a danger to himself and others around him. Deezen will have no choice but to stay in the health department's care until the court believes he no longer poses a threat.

As we reported, police say Deezen pushed his way into a privately-owned nursing facility in April, refusing to leave after a woman told him to scram -- but cops showed up and hauled him off in cuffs.

The alleged victim told cops Eddie's been by her place several times before, claiming he usually leaves behind items with accompanying notes.

The security camera of a neighbor a few doors down showed Deezen approaching their property as well that night, allegedly trying to open the front door.

Auburn quarterback T.J. Finley was arrested on Thursday -- the first day of Tigers football training camp -- after he was accused of eluding cops during two separate traffic stops back in July, TMZ Sports has learned.

According to Auburn PD, the 20-year-old was riding his motorcycle without a helmet near the Jordan-Hare Stadium on July 26 ... when cops tried to pull him over on two separate occasions.

Cops say Finley fled the scene twice and officers "terminated the pursuit on both occasions as a matter of safety" ... but not before they say they were able to identify him as the Tigers quarterback.

A warrant was issued for Finley's arrest ... and on Thursday, he turned himself in for attempting to elude police, a misdemeanor. He was also issued traffic citations.

Lee County Detention Facility tells us he signed for his own bond and was released at 11:16 AM.

Auburn head coach Bryan Harsin confirmed the university is aware of the situation ... and Finley arrived at the Tigers facility after the arrest. He will also be practicing with the team on Friday.

Finley -- who transferred from LSU in 2021 -- started 3 games for the Tigers last season ... and had 827 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in 9 appearances.