Ohio homeless radio man briefly held by LA police

LOS ANGELES – Ted Williams, the Ohio homeless man whose smooth radio voice made him an Internet sensation, had to do some quick talking to Los Angeles police.

Officers were called when Williams and his daughter got into a heated argument Monday night at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, Officer Catherine Massey said.

"I don't know how loud they were" but the argument at about 9 p.m. led to a disturbance report, Massey said Tuesday.

"It was minor. Both parties were angry but there were no signs of visible abuse," Massey said. "They were brought in, calmed down, talked to and released."

She said she did not know the nature of the argument.

Williams and his daughter, whom Massey declined to name, were held at the Hollywood police station for less than an hour and they were not arrested, she said.

It was not immediately clear whether the two returned to the hotel. Calls to a hotel marketing representative seeking comment were not immediately returned.

Williams' manager, Al Battle, declined to comment about or provide details of the incident but said a statement would be issued soon.

"Once we get all the facts, it'll be out there for everybody to have," he said in a brief phone interview with The Associated Press.

Williams, 53, trained to be a radio announcer but found his life derailed by drugs and alcohol in the 1990s. He has served time in prison for theft and forgery and has been cited with numerous misdemeanors, including drug abuse.

Williams became famous almost overnight after The Columbus Dispatch newspaper posted a web video of him last week. Viewers were enthralled to hear a deep, honeyed professional voice coming from the shabbily dressed man.

Since then, he has done a TV commercial for Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, appeared on various news shows, recorded voiceover promos for cable news and was offered an announcing job with the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team.

Although he says he has been clean for more than two years, the recovering addict has acknowledged that it has been challenging dealing with sudden fame.

"I wanted a nerve pill yesterday, to be honest with you," he told CBS on Friday.

(This version CORRECTS spelling of "Cavaliers.")