Country Singer Arrested on Drug Charges, Drops Song Immediately After

Country singer Paul Cauthen was arrested on drug charges last week while on tour in South Carolina. The singer, who released his new single “Wild Man” amid the turmoil, was taken into police custody in Isle of Palms, South Carolina on Thursday, May 18 after police pulled Cauthen’s silver tour bus over after it was illegally parked on the street near Ocean Blvd and Pavilion Dr. Cauthen was charged with possession of a Schedule I controlled substance, as well as manufacturing and possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute in Schedule I, II, or III.

According to the police report from the Isle of Palms Police Department, per Saving Country Music, the arrest occurred on the morning of May 18 after a patrol officer noticed the tour bus parked illegally and also noticed the smell of marijuana. When questioned, Cauthen admitted that he had approximately one ounce of marijuana in a suitcase on the bus. Once more officers arrived on the scene, Cauthen and others on the bus were ordered to exit as police executed “a probable cause search of the common area of the bus.”

While the musician voluntarily handed the police a bag containing marijuana, police also found three sealed bags of marijuana, three pink oval pills, two circular pills, another Ziploc bag of marijuana, and a glass pipe. The search also yielded a white powdery substance in a tube, which tests later concluded was presumptive positive for heroin and a cocaine-based narcotic, as well as a white powdery substance in a plastic bag, which was presumptive positive for cocaine. Cauthen later confessed to police that the pills were Xanax and Diazepamand confirmed that he did not have a prescription for them. He alsoclaimed that all of the marijuana found on the bus was his own.

Cuathen was ultimately booked on multiple charges, with Sgt. Matt Storen of the Isle of Palms Police explaining that the singer was charged with manufacturing and possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute due to the weight of the marijuana found. Cauthen’s bond was set at $2,275.00 for the possession charge, and $25,000.00 for the manufacturing and distribution charge. He posted the $27,275.00 bail and was later released, with his next court appearance scheduled for July 7.

While the arrest forced Cauthen to cancel his performances in Knoxville, Tennessee on May 19 and at Loretta Lynn’s Hurricane Mills Ranch at the Tennessee Motorcycles & Music Revival on May 20, it hasn’t stopped him from dropping new music. On Monday, May 22, Cauthen announced that his next single, “Wild Man” will drop on Friday. The singer also took a moment to address his arrest, telling his followers, “I am not a drug dealer and I don’t ‘manufacture’ drugs.” Cauthen said that “the legal process will play out and my side of the story will be told, hell or high water.” Cauthen added that amid his arrest, a friend reached out with support “and ended it by calling me ‘wild man.’ So I had to go ahead and put this song out today. This is for everyone that reached out and who has supported me.”