Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood arrested for possible assault in England; out on bail

Rocker Ronnie Wood arrested for possible assault

LONDON — Aging rocker Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones was released on bail Thursday after being arrested for possible domestic assault.

Wood, known for his stinging guitar riffs and raucous private life, was picked up by police Wednesday evening near his home in Esher in southern England.

“I can confirm that there was an incident last night and that Ronnie Wood was arrested,” said David Rigg, Wood’s spokesman.

The arrest comes on the heels of Wood’s highly publicized divorce last month. His marriage collapsed after he started dating a young Russian woman.

Police in Surrey, England, released few details about the incident, which is still under investigation. Police would not say who made the assault complaint against Wood.

Asked about Wood, police said only that a 62-year-old man from the town of Esher had been taken into custody Wednesday night on suspicion of assault in connection with a domestic incident on Claygate High Street.

Claygate High Street is a popular commercial street near Esher, an affluent town 17 miles (28 kilometers) southwest of London that was also the home of George Harrison of the Beatles.

Locals Thursday were trying to find out what happened with Wood, one of several famous rockers from the 1960s who live in the area.

Teresa Asoli, owner of the Il Corallo restaurant, said few of the facts have come out.

“Some people came around and wanted to know what we saw,” she said. “But I wasn’t here when it happened so I didn’t see anything.”

Wood spent Wednesday night in police custody before being released on bail to face further inquiries in January.

Wood’s private life has been in turmoil for more than an a year since he started a high profile relationship with Russian Ekaterina Ivanova, a 20-year-old cocktail waitress.

That relationship led to his divorce last month by Jo Wood, his wife of 24 years, on the grounds of adultery.

He and Wood have two children together.

Wood has long been a guitar stalwart of the Rolling Stones, one of the world’s longest-running and most popular rock bands. He joined the band in 1975 and has spent more than three decades touring the world with the band, one of the most successful live acts in history.

According to Forbes, the band recently earned about $88 million in one 12-month stretch.

In recent years he has also found some success as an artist, selling his paintings in numerous galleries.

His romantic troubles have provided ample fodder for Britain’s tabloids, who have shown repeated photographs of the craggy, aging rocker cavorting with his young Russian paramour.

He also was treated for alcoholism in 2008.

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Associated Press Writer Rachel Leamon contributed to this report.