12/15/06 - Trey arrested!!
Trey Anastasio was arrested at 3:30 this morning in Whitehall, NY, for “third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and DWI - drugs” (Burlington Free Press), mugshot and all. He “was observed to be under the influence of a narcotic substance … had a suspended driver’s license in New York and allegedly was found with an assortment of prescription medications including hydrocodone, Percocet and Xanax, which were prescribed for another person” (Times Union).
Treys mugshotTrey was driving a black 2004 Audi sedan when Whitehall Police Patrolman Andrew Mija observed him crossing into an opposing lane. Trey failed several field sobriety tests, but passed a breath test for alcohol. He reportedly told Mija that he’d smoked hash and consumed some prescription pills. His license had been suspended for not responding to an August 1998 ticket for driving 84 mph in a 65mph zone in Chester. (PostStar). He was released to a friend, picked up his car from a towing company this morning (and drove off in it, despite the license suspension, according to the PostStar), and is scheduled to re-appear on January 10th. (See also, WNYT.com.)
Several accounts quote his November 2005 interview discussing how the band let their guard down in 1998 about keeping “hard drugs” away. (By that account, things not only degenerated to the point of a two-year hiatus, but became worse afterwards, resulting in the band’s 2004 breakup.) Trey reportedly told Whitehall Police Chief Richard LaChapelle, “'You know what, I’ve got a problem and I’ve got to take care of it. Everything happens for a reason.” (PostStar)
Whitehall is a small town (population 4,035, per U.S. Census) in rural Washington County in upstate New York, approximately 70 miles north of Albany, N.Y. and 10 miles west of the Vermont/New York border.
