Country Artist Jamey Johnson Arrested, Charged With Drug Possession

Country singer-songwriter Jamey Johnson was arrested on Sunday (Nov. 17) after he was pulled over for speeding by the Tennessee Highway Patrol, according to The Tennessean.

He was charged in Williamson County with speeding and possession of drugs “with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell the controlled substance,” per court documents received by the publication. His court date is set for February 6, and he faces up to a $5,000 fine for the felony.

Johnson, who has amassed 10 Grammy nominations (but no wins), opened up about his sobriety journey with Billboard earlier this month. “I had my last drink in September 2011,” he revealed. “Then I quit smoking pot in 2015. I think that lasted about eight years. Nine years. In that time period, it was all about sobriety. And with a sober mind, I’m able to do things like get a pilot’s license, manage a business, start a product line.”

He continued, “I’m sober for the most part, but every now and then, I may still break out a joint if I’m writing or something like that. But I don’t play games with the alcohol. That’s what led me down a dark path of self-destruction back then and I barely survived. Alcohol was an incendiary way of destructing myself. Everything just went up in in flames and you couldn’t put the fire out, you just had to wait for it to all come to ashes and then try to rebuild when you got done. And it seemed to me like I owed myself a better way to live than that.”

Johnson released his first album in 14 years, Midnight Gasoline, on Nov. 8. The project marks the the first in a number of albums he calls the Cash Cabin Series, which will be released via Warner Music Nashville along with his own Big Gassed Records.