SHADMIA's WORLD

Matthew Shafer,33, aka Uncle Kracker was arrested on a second-degree forcible sexual offense charge (a class C felony) arising from an incident at the Ess Lounge, a downtown night club, located at 326 W. Davie St. in Raleigh, N.C. According to the arrest warrant Shafer is accused of "unlawfully, willfully and feloniously did engage in a sexual act other than vaginal intercourse" by force and without the consent of the victim.

Police say the musician also made statements to his arresting officers indicating he might high-tail it back to his native Michigan. As a result, the court deemed him "an exceptionally high flight risk" due to his notoriety as a "nationally known singer with major assets at his disposal" and bail was set at $5 million.

The original bond of $5 million was later reduced to $75,000 by District Judge Jane Gray, with the stipulation that Shafer have no contact with the victim by ANY means, saying that the bond is outside the guidelines for a Class C felony like the charge against Shafer. Asked about the charge against Matthew Shafer, Jim Sughrue, spokesman for the Raleigh Police Department said "It is not rape, and other than that, that statute on sexual offenses covers a wide range of inappropriate behavior," he declined to be more specific about the allegation against Shafer.

Matthew (Uncle Kracker) Shafer, who used to be a disc jockey for rock star Kid Rock, is well known for hits like "Follow Me," "Drift Away" and "When the Sun Goes Down" (his duet with country star Kenny Chesney) was in Raleigh to appear at a Downtown Depot Party to celebrate the redevelopment of an area around the train station. He fiercely denies the charges against him:

"It's regrettable that someone would make this kind of allegation, not only because it's not the kind of thing I'd do, as the father of two girls, it's the kind of thing that I wouldn't stand for."

His accuser is an unidentified 26-year old woman who complained to the police that Shafer, whom she did not know, committed a sex act against her while she was inside the Ess Lounge. Police in suburban Cary detained Kracker, 33, at a nearby Embassy Suites hotel until Raleigh officers arrived and took him to the Wake County Jail. Shafer's local attorney, James A. Crouch, didn't immediately return a call seeking comment. To see a short clip of his arrest click here.

The management of recently opened Ess Lounge issued a statement calling the incident "a very unfortunate turn of events on what was a great night in downtown Raleigh."

"We have never had any allegations like this before, and we consider our place of business to be a very safe environment," the statement said. "We need to let the investigation work through the process. If called upon, we will fully cooperate with local authorities in regards to (the) investigation."