Erykah Badu faces misdemeanor charge for nude walk

Posted on Saturday, April 3, 2010

Erykah Badu faces misdemeanor charge for nude walk

(CNN) -- Erykah Badu's naked stroll through downtown Dallas, Texas, for a music video has earned her a disorderly conduct citation.

The singer shed her clothes as she walked through Dealey Plaza until she was nude and then fell near where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Badu said the video was "shot guerrilla style," without a crew and in one take March 17.

A Dallas Police spokeswoman said earlier in the week that they wanted to press charges against Badu because children were present, but no one had called police or filed a complaint that day.

Police now have their witness.

"One witness did come forward yesterday, thus leading to the charges filed today," a statement from Dallas Police said Friday.

A citation of misdemeanor disorderly conduct has been mailed to Badu, who is a Dallas resident, police said.

"After much discussion, it has been determined that this charge best fits her conduct when she disrobed in a public place without disregard [sic] to other individuals and children who were in close proximity," the police statement said. If convicted, Badu could be fined $500, police said.

"It will be up to her as to how she wants to proceed further with this case," police said. "She can contest it in a court of law or simply pay the fine."

Badu and her representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

She did post a series of short messages on the social networking site Twitter last weekend, soon after the "Window Seat" video was released on her Web site.

She tweeted that "there were children there. i prayed they wouldnt b traumatized."