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Golden-Voiced Homeless Man Briefly Detained In Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The golden-voiced homeless man-turned-Internet sensation was briefly detained by Los Angeles police officers, according to reports.

Entertainment Tonight reports that Ted Williams and a woman identified as his daughter were briefly detained by officers during a heated argument Monday night at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood.

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

Williams is in Los Angeles for several television appearances, including "Entertainment Tonight." Williams also visited the Lakers Monday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Massey says Williams and his daughter were taken to the Hollywood station, calmed them down, talked to them and let them go in less than an hour.

She says it was a minor disturbance and the pair weren't arrested. She doesn't know the nature of the argument but says there weren't any signs of physical abuse. The name of Williams' daughter wasn't released.

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.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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