Los Angeles — East Tennessee native Michael Ketterer, who finished in 5th place on this season's "America's Got Talent," was arrested Thursday for domestic violence in Los Angeles.
According to the LAPD, the felony arrest came at 3:45 p.m. in the 1700 block of North Highland. They could not reveal any information about the victim.
TMZ, who first reported the arrest, said officers were called after Ketterer got into a fight with his wife. He was arrested when they noticed she had a visible red mark.
Ketterer told TMZ that is was a big misunderstanding, and that his wife didn't want to press charges, but they arrested him anyway.
TMZ reported they were told by law enforcement sources that the case will be downgraded to a misdemeanor because the injury was so minor.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department website, Ketterer was released on a $50,000 bond a few hours after his arrest. He has a court date set for Oct. 19.
Ketterer, who was championed throughout the show's run by judge Simon Cowell, was also a fan favorite. He and his wife have 6 children, five of them adopted from foster care. He works as a pediatric mental health nurse and worship leader at his church.
On the morning of the arrest, Ketterer posted a photo of him and his children that said "So happy to finally rest with my babies! This has been such a wild ride for all of us. Im sending out a huge thanks to all my fans."
He grew up in East Tennessee, but now lives in Los Angeles.
Ketterer wowed the judges and crowd from his first live performance where he earned the 'Golden Buzzer' from Simon Cowell.
Since then, Ketterer has gained fans by not only his voice, but personality, his values and love for his family.
On the show's finale, Ketterer sang a song written specially for him by country music star Garth Brooks. The ballad focused on "the courage of love."