Country singer Nathaniel Rateliff’s show in Raleigh, North Carolina was nearly upended after the singer found himself behind bars. Rateliff, of Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats, was arrested in Morganton, North Carolina on Wednesday, Sept. 27 after he was pulled over for speeding not once, but twice.
The Colorado native’s run-in with the law began as he was traveling eastbound on Interstate 40 on his way to his show in Raleigh that same night. A state trooper pulled Rateliff over after the singer was seen going around 84 mph in a 65 mph zone near Mile Marker 101 at around 9:45 a.m., according to 1st Sgt. Chris Knox with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, per The News Herald. Although Rateliffe was only issued a citation for the traffic violation and released, he seemingly didn’t learn his lesson, as he was pulled over a second time just a mile down the road.
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According to Knox, during the first traffic stop, a second trooper drove by and continued down I-40 before pulling over about a mile down the road. That trooper clocked Rateliff traveling about 84 mph in a 65 mph zone and pulled him over, confirming Rateliff was the same driver from the first traffic stop. Rateliff was arrested and taken to the Burke County Jail, where he was held under a $500 bond for speeding.
The musician’s traffic violations nearly cost fans his concert later that night. Rateliff was scheduled to perform with Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats at Raleigh’s Red Hat Amphitheater that night, but nearly missed the show as he remained in police custody for several hours. Speaking to the crowd that night, per WRAL, Rateliff explained that he was $120 short of being able to bail himself out and had to call his tour manager for help. According to the outlet, Rateliff also opened up about his short time behind bars, recalling how he had to strip naked in front of another man and put on a black-and-white striped jumpsuit.
Knox said Rateliff’s speeding violation is a misdemeanor offense, not an infraction. He explained that they “issue citations because we’re hoping to prevent something bad from happening, but the ultimate goal is to change a driver’s behavior and I think clearly we didn’t have that here so that repeat offense within such a short amount of time and a short distance is what led to the driver being arrested and taken before a magistrate.” According to Knox, Rateliff’s charge comes with a mandatory court appearance. The musician is set to appear in court in December and January for the two counts of speeding, according to court documents.
