Yahoo Lifestyle Darius Rucker Sentenced to Probation in Drug Arrest as Lawyer Says He 'Looks Forward' to 'Putting This All Behind Him'
The country star pleaded no contest in a Tennessee court on Sept. 10
Taylor Hill/WireImage
Darius Rucker at the CMA Awards in Nashville in November 2023Darius Rucker will receive probation after pleading no contest to a drug charge — and is focused on moving on.
Months after he was arrested on drug charges stemming from a 2023 traffic stop, the country star, 58, pleaded no contest to one count of simple possession of a controlled substance in a Williamson County, Tenn. courtroom on Sept. 10, according to local ABC affiliate WKRN.
Rucker will not receive jail time, and by pleading no contest, he waives his right to a trial and will accept a sentence of 11 months and 29 days of probation. His charges will be expunged if he completes the required probationary period, Penn Live reported.
“On behalf of Darius, we want to thank the Honorable Judge Tom Taylor, and the District Attorney’s office for the time and care taken in considering the details of this case and its final disposition,” his attorneys told WKRN in a statement. “In addition, we want to thank and commend the members of the Franklin Police Department and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department for the respectful and professional manner in which they treated Darius during this process. Darius looks forward to working through this probationary period and putting this all behind him.”
The “Wagon Wheel” singer was arrested in February 2024 on two counts of simple possession/casual exchange of a controlled substance and one count of violation of Tennessee’s vehicle registration law, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office told PEOPLE at the time. He was taken into custody and released on a $10,500 bond.
WKRN reported that Judge M.T. Taylor said in court that the district attorney had recommended he dismiss one count of simple possession and the expired registration because of Rucker’s “good character.”
Related: Darius Rucker Arrested in Tenn. for Alleged Minor Drug Misdemeanor, Released on Bond
The star, who is currently on tour with Hootie and the Blowfish, opened up to PEOPLE about his arrest in May, saying he was “shocked” to hear there was a warrant out for his arrest months after he’d been pulled over in February 2023 and released without charges. At the traffic stop, Rucker said, he’d had “a little bit of pot, and I think a little bit of some mushrooms or something in the car.”
TMZ reported at the time that he’d been pulled over for expired tags that month, and authorities found marijuana and psilocin in his car. Though he was released without charges, a warrant for his arrest was issued in December 2023, and he reportedly turned himself in in February.
“It sucks,” he told PEOPLE in May. “Fifty-seven years, never seen inside of a police car or jail, and I get busted for that.”
Recreational marijuana is legal in 24 states, though not in Tennessee.
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