Country star John Rich is charged with assault and harassment in an ongoing dispute with former “Nashville Star” contestant Jarred Ashley.  John says in a statement that he turned himself in to Nashville police to face the charges filed by Jared, a contestant during the fourth season of the TV show on the USA network.

In April, John sued Jared, saying the aspiring singer defamed him by claiming John hit him in the face. John says the charges are false and he rejected a settlement offer to pay $2.9 million to have them dropped.

John was charged with two misdemeanor counts of assault and one misdemeanor count of harassment. He was released on $3,000 bond. John maintains his innocence.