Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors
Kenny Chesney’s latest concert at Gillette Stadium was meant to be a night of country tunes and good vibes, but it took a wild turn thanks to an off-duty cop’s antics. On Saturday, August 24, Shane Lynch, a police officer from Cranston, Massachusetts, ended up behind bars for turning the concert pit into his personal bathroom, according to Foxborough police.
The incident unfolded in the front row pit when Lynch, who appeared to be “heavily intoxicated,” unzipped his pants and began urinating on a woman. Suddenly feeling something wasn’t right, the woman turned around and caught Lynch in the act — midstream — destroying her brand-new $180 leather Ariat cowgirl boots.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
The scene escalated quickly. Lynch tried to disappear into the crowd but didn’t get far. Security and police nabbed him, slapping the culprit with charges of disorderly conduct and destruction of property. Meanwhile, Cranston’s Police Chief, Michael Winquist, was left shaking his head. “All Cranston police officers recognize they are held to a higher standard and are required to act professionally both on and off-duty,” he said in a statement to Boston 25 News. “Failure to adhere to this expectation will result in discipline.”
An off-duty police officer was arrested after authorities say he urinated on a woman at the Kenny Chesney concert at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night. https://t.co/Ib3KkkDTVl
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) August 27, 2024
As for Lynch, he settled the legal drama by coughing up $100 in court costs and got hit with a trespass order from stadium security.
The 56-year-old country music legend has yet to comment on the scandal, but he did take to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, August 27 to say goodbye after wrapping up his Sun Goes Down tour in Foxboro, Massachusetts. “So a bittersweet goodbye to the 2024 #SunGoesDownTour,” his post started. “I’m a touch tired for sure. But my heart and soul is so full from all the faces we saw this year. The energy, the laughter, and all the music will live within me forever.”
So a bittersweet goodbye to the 2024 #SunGoesDownTour. I’m a touch tired for sure. But my heart and soul is so full from all the faces we saw this year. The energy, the laughter, and all the music will live within me forever.
I’ve needed a couple days to regroup, to make sure… pic.twitter.com/111FjI7G02
— Kenny Chesney (@kennychesney) August 27, 2024
Chesney went on to say, “Thanks to the @zacbrownband for being a part of our summer and thanks to Zac Brown for the Jimmy Buffett tribute we did together Saturday night. I know he heard it. To my brother @unclekracker for your ongoing friendship, all the jokes and all the joy. You are amazing, pal.” He capped off his post with a laid-back farewell: “So that’s it. I love all of you and thank you. I’m going to go jump in the ocean now. See ya when I see ya.”