"I want you all to hear personally from me that all is well in the Dollar household," Pastor Creflo Dollar said in his first public appearance two days after police charged him with misdemeanor counts of simple battery and cruelty to children. The religious advocate took to the pulpit to staunchly deny that he punched and choked his 15-year-old daughter in an argument, telling his congregation that allegations made in a police report are nothing but "exaggeration and sensationalism." While Dollar got an enthusiastic ovation, he address the criminal charges head-on for several minutes before moving on to his sermon. "The truth is that a family conversation with our youngest daughter got emotional," he said. "And emotions got involved and things escalated from there."

Fayette County sheriff's deputy said that Creflo's 15-year-old daughter called 911 at about 1 a.m. Friday and charged her father, saying he put his hands around her throat, began to punch her, and started hitting her with a shoe. The deputy noted a scratch on her neck, but according to the evangelist, "The truth is she was not choked, she was not punched. There were not any scratches on her neck, but the only thing on her neck was a prior skin abrasion from eczema." Dollar's lengthy denial of the allegations mixed with his 15 and 19-year-old daughters both saying that their father did lay hands leaves many wondering what actually happened that evening.