John Mellencamp’s Sons Speck, Hud Face Arrest For Beating Teenager

John Mellencamp’s teenage sons face arrest in a brutal beating of another 19-year-old man on his own porch in Bloomington, Indiana. According to Herald Times Online, 18-year-old Speck Mellencamp, his 19-year-old brother Hud Mellencamp, and 19-year-old Ty Smith all face charges of felony battery as a result of the attack on July 29.

The felony charges were handed down Thursday by the Monroe County District court. Smith, the son of an Indiana University baseball coach, has already turned himself in. He was arrested, paid a $500 bond, and has been released.

Monroe County prosecutors and the Bloomington Police Department said that they were making arrangements for the Mellencamp brothers to do the same. But it wasn’t clear if they’d been arrested yet. Their bond will also be $500, so they’re probably good for it.

John Mellencamp is, of course, the erstwhile John Cougar Mellencamp. The 61-year-old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is known for his so-called heartland rock heavily influenced by singers like Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie.

The fight occurred early in the morning hours of July 29. Several media accounts like this one at Fox 59 allege that the victim was sitting on his own front porch. Ty Smith and the Mellencamp brothers came up, and Speck Mellencamp punched the victim in the face. At one point, the three men reportedly knocked the victim off the porch yet continued to pound on him.

When the savage beating was broken up by roommates, the Mellencamps and Smith fled the scene.

The victim didn’t want to press charges at the time.

But the beating wasn’t any joke. The victim had to go to the hospital and was told to see a plastic surgeon.

However, the Herald Times noted that the fight wasn’t completely out of the blue. All of the teens had attended a party earlier in the evening. Speck Mellencamp has said that two girls were fighting over him.

When Speck tried to break it up, he somehow ended up getting hit in the face by the alleged victim. He walked away but later collected his brother and Ty Smith to go confront the victim at his home.

Hud Mellencamp is a trained boxer. And both sons apparently have something of a temper.

Here’s a video from John Mellencamp’s appearance on David Letterman on June 5. You can see that the Jack And Diane singer has a heck of a black eye.

Mellencamp said, “My son and I had words. He got a punch in, and I didn’t.”

John Mellencamp tried to laugh it off. Apparently, domestic violence is funny if it’s aimed at some old dinosaur rocker. But maybe the felony arrest is what Speck and Hud Mellencamp need to catch a clue that you don’t go around hitting people in the face.

[John Mellencamp 2011 concert photo credit: sjrowe53 via photopin cc]