Darius Rucker Explains Arrest On Drug Possession Charges

Darius Rucker admits he was confused about the circumstances that led to his arrest, too.

The singer and frontman for Hootie & the Blowfish didn’t even know there was a warrant out for his arrest until he got a call from a friend. Someone, he says, is trying to make an example out of him, “and they did.”

• Rucker was caught with 14 purple pills, a THC pen and a small marijuana joint during a traffic stop in February 2023.
• The pills were identified as Psilocin, an ingredient in magic mushrooms.
• One year later, he turned himself in to police after learning of the warrant and was released after paying $10,500 bond.

Related: 11 Great Country Songs About Getting Arrested

Why Was Darius Rucker Arrested?

Talking to People, Rucker admits to having a small amount of marijuana and “a little bit of mushrooms or something,” but says the officer let him 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,'” he shares.

Details are still fuzzy, the singer says. He’s cooperating and the negotiation is ongoing.

“My friends who were in the police department were like, ‘Have you p—ed somebody off up here? Because this is crazy that they’re doing this a year later,'” Rucker tells the magazine.

“But I think somebody wanted to make an example out of me, and they did.”

The arrest came amid a flurry of country music encounters with police. Chris Young was arrested in January with all charges being dropped soon after. Morgan Wallen was arrested in April, with felony charges still active.

Rucker seems to be taking it in stride, accepting there will be a price to pay. This month, he dropped his new memoir, Life’s Too Short.