Jamey Johnson‘s Nov. 17 arrest in Tennessee made national headlines, with little further information available at first. Now new details have emerged: The country singer and songwriter was arrested after a state trooper pulled him over for speeding and allegedly found marijuana in the car.
According to court filings obtained by Rolling Stone, Johnson was charged with violating a Tennessee law that prohibits possession of between half an ounce and 10 ounces of marijuana “with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell the controlled substance.” If convicted, this charge is a Class E felony, with penalties that range from one to six years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.
Johnson, 49, was pulled over by highway patrol officers in Tennessee’s Williamson County shortly before 10 p.m. on Sunday. A state trooper swore under oath that they caught Johnson driving 87 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour zone and alleged that they found several Ziploc bags of marijuana and pre-rolled joints in Johnson’s car.
While cannabis possession has been decriminalized or fully legalized in many states over the past decade-plus, from California to Michigan to Maine, it remains a crime in Tennessee. “Tennessee is one of only 12 states without a viable medical cannabis program and one of 19 states that continues to imprison individuals for possessing small amounts of cannabis,” the Marijuana Policy Project wrote in a story earlier this year, noting the failure of several state bills that would have changed the plant’s legal status.
Johnson recently released Midnight Gasoline, his first new studio album in 14 years. One of the songs on the new album, “Sober,” addresses his effort to stay away from alcohol.
“’Sober’ is about how hard it is to stay sober in a town that glorifies drinking and other kinds of debauchery — not just glorifies it, but it is in just about every song in country music one way or the other,” Johnson said in a recent press release. He added: “I am 13 years sober now. I haven’t had a drop of alcohol since 2011, and I know that could end this afternoon. It is a day-to-day, hour-to-hour decision.”
Reps for Johnson did not respond to Rolling Stone‘s request for comment.