Names and faces

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Country singer Tim McGraw said he was trying to protect his children when he intervened between New York police and fellow performer Kenny Chesney.

McGraw and Chesney were arrested June 3 in Orchard Park, N.Y., after officers said Chesney took a police horse without permission from a backstage area. Police said McGraw attacked them when they tried to stop Chesney.

In a statement released Thursday, McGraw said he tried to intervene when he saw officers trying to ''rip (Chesney) from the horse,'' even after Chesney had raised his hands to surrender.

''At no time did I throw any punches or put anyone in anything remotely resembling a choke hold,'' McGraw said. ''One of the officers pulled his nightstick and hit me at least three times on my leg.''

He said he also feared for the safety of his children, who were playing in the area.

McGraw, 33, husband of country star Faith Hill, was charged with felony assault, obstructing governmental administration, menacing and resisting arrest. Chesney, 32, was charged with disorderly conduct.

Andy Dick in compliance

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Former ''NewsRadio'' actor Andy Dick has complied with drug rehabilitation terms under a program that could clear his record of cocaine and marijuana possession, a judge said.

Superior Court Judge Alice Altoon read a progress report Thursday and said the actor appeared to be in compliance. She scheduled another progress report hearing for Jan. 26.

Last August, Dick was ordered to undergo a two-year drug diversion program after his guilty plea to cocaine and marijuana possession as well as possession of a smoking device.

The charges stem from a May 15, 1999, car crash in which Dick toppled a utility pole near the Hollywood Bowl. If he completes the program successfully, he could be cleared of charges.

Rapper convicted

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Bone Thugs-N-Harmony member Stanley Howse has been convicted of pointing an assault rifle at a man, despite the victim's testimony that the rapper was a friend who never pulled a gun on him.

Howse, 27, has been convicted seven times since the mid-1990s of crimes ranging from assault to spousal abuse, according to court documents.

The Grammy-award winning rapper, known as ''Flesh-N-Bone,'' faces up to 19 years, eight months following his conviction Thursday. He was found guilty of committing assault with a semiautomatic firearm and being a convicted felon in possession of firearms.