This day in 2000: The felony charges filed against Tim McGraw in connection with the infamous “horse incident” in Buffalo were dropped. Since he and Kenny Chesney still faced a variety of misdemeanor charges, the case eventually went to trial and the pair was completely exonerated.
On June 3, 2000, Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw were headlining a show together in Buffalo, N.Y. It was business as usual, but the two friends would wind up in jail before the day was over. An incident with a horse led to charges of assaulting a sheriff’s deputy.
According to news reports from the time, Chesney asked the daughter of a sheriff’s deputy if he could ride his horse. He then rode away, ignoring orders to stop. Two officers tried to remove him, and McGraw and his manager got involved. A minor scrum broke out and the lawmen suffered minor injuries.
Erie County Sheriff Patrick Gallivan said: “But because they had sustained the injuries, the law in New York State says assaulting a police officer is a felony, regardless of the extent of the injuries — from a minor bruise to lacerations and broken bones.”
The country music icons were arrested, arraigned and released on bail. A year later, all three men were found innocent of any wrongdoing. McGraw and his manager faced up to a year in jail, while Chesney was ultimately charged only with disorderly conduct.
McGraw and Chesney later toured together on the Brothers of the Sun tour in 2012 without incident.