WWW- Grammy-nominated singer and self-styled “American Bad Ass” Kid Rock will appear in a Nashville courtroom Wednesday to enter a plea on an assault charge stemming from a strip-club brawl in February.

Born Robert James Ritchie in Romeo, Mich., the rapper-rocker was arrested at 7 a.m. on Feb. 16, 2005, for allegedly punching DJ Jeremy Campos at the Nashville strip club Christy’s. Ritchie was enjoying a night out in Music City after attending a funeral for deceased country legend Merle Kilgore.

The self-proclaimed “Son of Detroit,” who is as well-known for dating porn stars and partying as he is for his platinum-selling albums, could face up to 11 months in prison if he goes to trial.

But court officials say misdemeanor assault cases such as his rarely make it to trial and often result in probation sentences.

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“We just don’t have enough room for all of them,” said Davidson County general sessions deputy clerk Steve Tucker.

A spokesman for Ritchie, who made previous headlines in 2003 for a fight with a photographer who took pictures of him with his former fiancée, Pamela Anderson, said his most recent brush with the law will do little to curb the performer’s bad-boy attitude.

“Kid Rock will continue to be Kid Rock,” the artist’s friend and acting publicist, Kirt Webster, said. “This assault charge is not going to keep him from partying or going to strip clubs, and the arrest will not deter him from returning to Nashville.”

Witnesses at the scene reported that the incident began with verbal sparring between Campos and a member of Kid Rock’s party, who criticized the DJ’s choice of music, according to police.

“Ritchie, believing that his friend had been disrespected by Campos, went up to the DJ booth and demanded that Campos apologize,” a police statement from the Metro Nashville Police Department said. “Campos refused.”

Ritchie, 34, then allegedly stormed the DJ booth and punched Campos, 30, in the left eye. “As others tried to separate the two, Ritchie struck Campos a second time,” the report said, before leaving the club with his friends.

Police arrested Ritchie a few hours later at a friend’s house, reporting he was “extremely cooperative and friendly during his entire time with the officers.”

One of the officers who attended to his arrest was fired after he obtained an autograph from the rocker.

Campos’ lawyer, Steve Stephenson, said his client is considering a civil suit.

“He was the victim of an unprovoked assault, from which he is still recovering his eyesight,” the Nashville-based lawyer said.

Stephenson said he was also in the process of investigating a wrongful termination suit against the club. “He was let go from his job a few weeks later, and we have a sneaking suspicion it was because of this incident. But we’re still investigating the situation.” E-mail | Print