Whitney Houston Accused In Kentucky Hotel Fight

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Pop singer Whitney Houston allegedly punched a man and threatened to kill him during a fight in a hotel lounge, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Fayette County attorney's office.

Ransom Brotherton of Lexington filed a complaint alleging that Houston assaulted him Friday night when he tried to break up a fight.

Brotherton said the fight involved the singer's brother, Michael Houston, and Michael Owens of Austin, Texas, in the Radisson Plaza hotel lounge.

In a related complaint, Owens alleged that Michael Houston started the fight. He said the singer's brother began yelling at him after someone in a group of people in the lounge yelled, "It's Whitney Houston."

The complaints were filed Friday night with the Fayette County attorney's office, the night before Whitney Houston performed in Lexington.

District Judge Kevin Horne yesterday authorized a summons to be served on Houston and her brother. No court date was set.

Houston, 27, was charged with two misdemeanors, assault and terroristic threatening. Michael Houston was charged with assault.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of a $500 fine and 12 months in jail.

Houston is on her first tour in three years. Her latest album, "I'm Your Baby Tonight," has become her third multiplatinum release; it has sold more than 2.5 million copies.

Houston, who performed in Columbia, Mo., Tuesday night, offered no comment after the show and was whisked away.