Darius Rucker Addresses Drug Arrest: ‘I Think Somebody Wanted to Make an Example Out of Me’

Darius Rucker is sharing new details regarding his arrest earlier this year.

The country music star, 58, was initially pulled over in February 2023 — but was let go. Rucker unknowingly had a warrant out for his arrest.

“It was so awesome,” he told People in an interview published on Tuesday, May 28. “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.’”

Rucker was “shocked” a year later when “a buddy” informed him about the arrest warrant.

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“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 continued. “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.”

Us Weekly confirmed on February 1, 2024 that Rucker was taken into custody by the Franklin Police Department in Tennessee on three misdemeanor drug charges: simple possession/casual exchange of a controlled substance x2 and one count of a violation of registration law.

“Darius Rucker is fully cooperating with authorities related to misdemeanor charges,” the “Wagon Wheel” singer’s lawyer Mark Puryear told Us in a statement at the time.

Rucker told People that the incident “sucks” overall. “Never seen inside of a police car or jail, and I get busted for that,” he added.

The Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer discussed his “nonstop” partying while touring with the band in his Life’s Too Short memoir, which was released on Tuesday.

Darius Rucker Details ‘Nonstop’ Partying and Tiger Woods Friendship in ‘Life’s Too Short’ Memoir

“Whatever you got, I’m in. Booze. Drugs,” he wrote. “Everything you can name, anything you can think of, and piles of it, tons of it, as omnipresent as air. We drink, we smoke, we sniff, we stockpile.”

Rucker said that his alcohol of choice was Jim Beam, writing that the band would use drugs “day, evening, night, into the next day, always.”

The only time they took breaks was “to play golf and music” he wrote. “What comes first, partying, drinking, and drugs? Or golf, performing, and music? Chicken or egg. I honestly can’t say.”

Rucker admitted in the book that he’s “honestly amazed that we made it out alive,” while looking back at this time in his life.