Golden Voice, Checkered Past – Ted Williams’ Lengthy Rap Sheet

His voice may be “golden,” but his past is tarnished.

Ted Williams, the homeless man with a spectacular radio voice, has been very open about the numerous brushes with the law, which he faced during his years living on the streets of Ohio, and his mug shots tell the tale.

According to The Smoking Gun, the 53-year-old overnight sensation has a lengthy rap sheet that spans more than 20 years, with charges including theft, robbery, escape, forgery, and drug possession.

A Columbus businessman – a manager at National Tire & Battery — called the police as recently as July 2010 to report that Williams and a “female companion” were “refusing to leave the business property,” according to the site.

The man also alleged that Williams and the woman had become “an ongoing problem” for the local business, according to a police report posted on the site.

Williams has been seemingly open about his criminal past during this week’s media blitz, telling The Columbus Dispatch videographer (who originally captured his unique voice on camera) that he has battled with alcohol and drugs, but that he has been clean for two years.

Additionally, Williams discussed his battle with substance abuse on the “Today” show in an interview on Thursday saying, “My life went to the pits.”

In related news, Ted Williams’ex-wife, Patricia Kirtley, spoke with the NY Daily News on Friday regarding her former spouse’s newfound fame.

“We survived,” Kirtley reportedly told the paper. “My children are survivors. They know if we get a little bit that God provides, we make it into a lot. I’m a soup maker. I make potato soup and throw in a lot of vegetables and a little meat. We always ate.”

Kirtley reportedly raised four daughters of hers and Williams’ on her own after Williams left their family 23 years ago. She also reportedly raised a son whom Williams’ fathered with a “druggie girlfriend.”

“I didn’t want to see those children in no foster home,” Kirtley – who is partially blind – reportedly told the paper.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, the homeless man’s luck drastically changed overnight after a video showcasing his exceptional radio voice went viral on Monday.

In the clip, shot near a Columbus, Ohio highway off ramp by a videographer for The Columbus Dispatch, a sharpened booming radio voice comes from Williams’ tattered frame as the videographer speaks with Williams on the side of the road. Following his panhandling performance, Williams, a Brooklyn native, explains that he attended school for broadcasting, but that drugs, alcohol and “a few other things” derailed his dreams.

Williams’ dream is seemingly back on track – The Ohio paper has been inundated with calls and e-mails offering opportunities for the golden-voiced sensation, including an as-of-yet unspecified job by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The former panhandler has also made multiple television appearances this week, including the “Today” show, CBS’ “Early Show,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” and Access Hollywood Live, and he accepted an offer from Kraft to perform voiceover work for Macaroni & Cheese.

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