Forget Georgia. Billy Joe Shaver appears to be on a fast train to the hoosegow.
Authorities in central Texas have issued an arrest warrant for the country crooner for allegedly shooting a man who approached him in a bar parking lot.
Shaver, who shot to fame in the '70s with the hits "Georgia on a Fast Train" and "Old Chunk of Coal," was drinking at Papa Joe's Texas Saloon in Lorena, a town 80 miles north of Austin, when the incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
A spokeswoman with the Lorena Police Department told E! Online that Shaver is expected to be charged with assault with a deadly weapon and unlawfully carrying a handgun on the premises of a business with a license to sell alcohol. The first is a second-degree felony carrying a maximum fine of $10,000 and up to 20 years in the joint, while the second is a third-degree felony that tops out at a $10,000 fine and up to 10 years behind bars.
The unidentified victim was wounded in the cheek and treated at a nearby hospital. He is said to be responsive and talking to doctors.
No word on what precipitated the gunplay. Police are continuing to investigate the matter.
Reps for the 67-year-old singer-songwriter's label, Music World Entertainment, issued a statement supporting Shaver—and plugging his new CD.
"At this time, no charges have been filed and Billy Joe is expected to honor all scheduled concert performances and his promotional schedule for his new album release, Billy Joe Shaver's Greatest Hits," said Music World's president, Matthew Knowles (who's also the father of Beyoncé).
Shaver's Austin-based attorney, Joseph A. Turner, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. However, he told reporters earlier that Shaver had been confronted by a belligerent, knife-wielding bar patron and that the entertainer acted in self-defense. Turner said Shaver didn't know the would-be assailant, and the attorney declined to speculate on what may have gone down in the watering hole to set off the altercation.
Turner said he attempted to escort Shaver to a police station in Austin, but the local department refused to arrest him because officers there had yet to receive the warrant.
A native of Waco, Texas, Shaver's music career has spanned 20 albums over four decades and includes such ditties as "Try and Try Again," "Step on Up," "Ride Me Down Easy" and "Light a Candle for Me."
Barring any legal hang-ups, Shaver's expected to keep a series of concert dates later this month in Georgia, Alabama and Texas.