Uncle Kracker gets probation

Raleigh, N.C. -- U.S. country-rock musician Uncle Kracker has been sentenced to a year of probation, after pleading guilty to assaulting a woman in a nightclub.

The charges stem from an incident that took place after an outdoor performance in Raleigh last month, The Charlotte Observer reported Friday.

Wake District Court Judge Craig Croom also ordered the 33-year-old musician, whose real name is Matthew Shafer, to pay a $1,500 fine and undergo an alcohol assessment.

Shafer pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in a plea bargain with prosecutors, who dismissed the original felony charge of second-degree forcible sex offense, the newspaper said.

The more serious charge carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and requires defendants to register as sex offenders.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Moyers said in court that Shafer, who is the father of three daughters, had been drinking heavily when he stumbled down a staircase into the woman and put his hand up her skirt.

The woman slapped Shafer and he hit her back, Moyers said.

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Copyright 2007 by United Press International.