No Jail Time for Former 70 Volt Parade Singer
Can you still have fun, Trey? Well, probably not that type of fun any more.
The population of Washington County, New York is about to increase by one: Former frontman for the popular rock band Phish, Trey Anastasio, will be required to move to the area as part of the guilty plea he just accepted.
And if all goes well for Big Red in the county’s drug treatment court, Trey could then cop to a reduced charge and remain out of jail on a long probation:
If [Trey] does complete the 12-month program, McKeighan will sentence him to 5 years of probation and would entertain a request by Anastasio’s lawyer to withdraw his guilty plead to a felony charge of attempted fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. Instead, he would be allowed to enter a subsequent plea to a misdemeanor charge.
It’s a good thing Trey didn’t have all that much in the car with him at the time:
Anastasio spoke softly as he answered McKeighan’s questions. He admitted illegally possessing more than a half-ounce of the prescription painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, the anti-anxiety drug Xanax and heroin when he was pulled over by Whitehall Police the morning of Dec. 15. He was driving through the village on his way to Vermont when he was seen swerving.
Is it me, or is that a lotta gum? That’s a lot of gum! We’re thinking this arrest was the best thing that ever happened to him, in the grand scheme. And he may have “spoke softly,” but at least he spoke at all — we figured the lack of stage banter post-hiatus would carry over into the courtroom. Eh, I say we all just mainline some smack and put this whole strange episode behind us.
Previously on HT: Now Trey’s a Real Rock Star; Full Timeline of Trey’s Ordeal
And read on for a couple of pics of Crimson Dego’s Courthouse Experience…
Here are some pics of Trey at the courthouse today…
Get that damn mike out of his face, woman:
the scariest part is: “If he fails, he would be sentenced to 1 to 3 years in state prison.”
I wouldn’t want that lingering over my head…
BEST…TITLE…EVER
Question: shouldn’t Jerry Garcia, Jr. have gotten all of this stuff out of his system before he broke up Phish–and while people still really cared? Is it possible that Trey’s been reading the “Official Guide To Being A Rock Star” backwards? Given the Chinese menu of substances he was carrying around, I think he may be slightly confused as to the logical progression of such things.
And is just me, or is Trey looking more like Paul Kantner’s “Mini-Me” with each passing year?
I loved the prosecutor’s comment…
“He’s accepted responsibility,” said Washington County District Attorney Kevin Kortright. “That’s all we can ask for.”
Wow! I’m no fan of drug laws. But the prosecutor sounds more like he disciplined his kid who broke a kitchen window. I was hoping for tracking bracelet or at least something that would allow him to crossover to gangsta rap. Suspended sentences bring no cred.
“Lesser charges of driving while intoxicated by drugs, misdemeanor drug possession and driving without a license were dropped as part of the plea agreement.”
The first and third of these hardly sound like “lesser charges” to me. Everything else is a victimless crime. Driving like a maniac presents an actual danger to society.
[...] We here at Hidden Track are Trey Loyalists through and through, but after his lackluster Langerado set, I have no problem seeing him put the outdoor headlining acts on hold for the time being while he sorts his shit out, which will also allow the other bands on this pretty festival solid lineup to, dare I say, shiiiiiine on. [...]
[...] Previously on Hidden Track: No Jail Time, Trey In Florida, The B List: Top 10 Big Red Sit-ins and Now Trey’s a Real Rock Star [...]