Darius Rucker Breaks Silence On Arrest For Drug Possession: ‘Paying The Price’

Country singer Darius Rucker, former frontman for the band Hootie & the Blowfish, just broke his silence about his brush with the law due to drug possession.

The 58-year-old recording artist was pulled over in February 2023 and released without charges. He later found out there was a warrant out for his arrest. Rucker spoke with People about his reaction to the pending charges.

“It was so awesome,” he told the outlet. “I mean, I looked back at that and I was like, ‘I got stopped by a police officer and I had a little bit of pot, and I think a little bit of some mushrooms or something in the car, and he let me go.’ And a year later I got a phone call from a buddy that said, ‘I think I just saw an arrest warrant for you.’ It shocked me.”

The country star said he couldn’t believe he was dealing with an arrest warrant.

“My friends who were in the police department were like, ‘Have you pissed somebody off up here? Because this is crazy that they’re doing this a year later,’” Rucker added. “But I think somebody wanted to make an example out of me, and they did. And I’m handling it with my lawyers, and paying the price, and we’ll move on with our lives.”

“It sucks,” he said of the incident. “Fifty-seven years, never seen inside of a police car or jail, and I get busted for that.”

The singer was arrested in February 2024 after the warrant was issued in December. Rucker was charged with two counts of simple possession/casual exchange of a controlled substance and one count of a violation of Tennessee’s vehicle registration law, per People. He was released on a $10,500 bond.

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Rucker told the outlet he’s just trying to move forward and hopes fans get to know him better via his upcoming memoir, which recounts hard partying during the heyday of Hootie & the Blowfish. Rucker said his ex-wife likely saved his life by giving him an ultimatum about doing hard drugs.

“I hope my journey pleasantly surprises people and makes them go, ‘Wow,’” the musician said. “Not a lot of people know a lot about me. They know my music and what I do, but they don’t know how you got there.”