Winehouse charged in assault

LONDON

Singer Amy Winehouse was charged Wednesday in connection with an assault at a theater, police said. The 26-year-old soul diva was arrested after she presented herself at a police station with her lawyer, Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

She was charged with a public-order offense and common assault under the name Amy Civil following an incident Saturday at Milton Keynes Theatre, police said. Miss Winehouse was granted a divorce from her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, in July.

She is free on bail and must appear in court on Jan. 20.

Police did not provide details on the incident, but British media have said the multiple-Grammy-winning singer reportedly struggled with a member of the theater’s staff after heckling at a performance.

Miss Winehouse was acquitted earlier this year of assaulting a female fan who had asked to take her picture. A judge in that case said he could not be sure whether she had lashed out at the woman deliberately. Prosecutors said Miss Winehouse was drunk when she punched the woman in the eye, but the singer said she merely had acted to fend away an overly friendly fan.

Miss Winehouse shot to international stardom with the Grammy-winning album “Back to Black” in 2006, but her music has been overshadowed by reports of drug use, run-ins with the law and a tempestuous marriage.