Darius Rucker Breaks Silence on Drug Arrest

Months after his arrest on drug charges, Darius Rucker has broken his silence on the situation. In February 2023, Rucker was pulled over by Tennessee police, but released without charges. One year later, he was arrested on two counts of simple possession/casual exchange of a controlled substance and one count of a violation of Tennessee’s vehicle registration law. Rucker was taken into custody and released on a $10,500 bond.

“It was so awesome,” Rucker, 58, told PEOPLE in a new interview. “I mean, I looked back at that and I was like, ‘I got stopped by a police officer and I had a little bit of pot, and I think a little bit of some mushrooms or something in the car, and he let me 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.’ It shocked me.”

Rucker explained that he still isn’t exactly sure what prompted his arrest, but that his legal team is working to get to the bottom of the matter. “My friends who were in the police department were like, ‘Have you pissed somebody off up here? Because this is crazy that they’re doing this a year later,’” he said. “But I think somebody wanted to make an example out of me, and they did. And I’m handling it with my lawyers, and paying the price, and we’ll move on with our lives.”

At the time that Rucker was arrested, TMZ reported that he’d been pulled over for expired tags. During the stop, officers discovered both marijuana and psilocin in his car. As previously noted, he was released without charges. However, in December, a warrant for his arrest. He reportedly turned himself in in February.

“It sucks,” Rucker says now. “Fifty-seven years, never seen inside of a police car or jail, and I get busted for that.”