Ex-Phish frontman Anastasio arrested in N.Y.
Toolbox
By Alan J. Keays Rutland Herald - Published: December 16, 2006
WHITEHALL, N.Y. — An early morning traffic stop Friday that began when a Whitehall police officer pulled over an erratic driver landed a pretty big Phish.
Trey Anastasio, 42, the former jam band frontman, was arrested in the New York town only a few miles from the Vermont border on charges including DWI-drugs.
The musician released a brief statement late Friday afternoon.
"I feel terrible about what happened last night, and I am deeply sorry for any embarrassment I have caused my friends, family and fans," Anastasio wrote.
Anastasio, whose real first name is Ernest, was stopped around 3:30 a.m. Friday by an officer who pulled over Anastasio's black 2004 Audi sedan for veering out of his travel lane on Poultney Street in Whitehall, according to police.
Police said Patrolman Andrew Mija suspected Anastasio may have been drunk, but a breath test did not reveal the presence of alcohol. Anastasio did fail field sobriety tests, police said.
He also was found to be in possession of three prescriptions drugs, all of which had been prescribed to another person. The drugs included painkillers — hydrocodone and Percocet — and the anti-anxiety medication, Xanax.
Police said Anastasio, who listed a Vermont address in Richmond, had a suspended driver's license in New York. He was taken into custody and was booked and processed at the Whitehall police station.
Anastasio was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, criminal possession of a controlled substance, and DWI-drugs.
He was released to a friend on an appearance ticket for a court date on Jan. 10 at Whitehall Village Court. If convicted of the charges, he faces up to a year in jail.
"He was very cooperative," said Whitehall Police Sgt. William Humphries, who acknowledged he was not working at the time of Anastasio's arrest. "From talking to the police chief, he told me he was very cooperative, probably one of the most cooperative people that they've arrested."
Whitehall Police Case "2006544" created quite a buzz at the department's police station Friday, with reporters from media outlets nationwide calling in search of information.
The musician's arrest even landed Anastasio's mugshot on the homepage of The Smoking Gun Web site (thesmokinggun.com), home to a host of mugshots of the rich and famous.
"From talking to the chief it's been media frenzy," Humphries said Friday. "(Anastasio) is kind of a high-profile person, especially in this area."
Police said Anastasio was driving from New York City and heading to Burlington. Whitehall is a little more than four hours from New York City and about 90 minutes from Burlington.
Anastasio, a vocalist and guitar player for Phish, has been performing solo since the group broke up in 2004.
The band's weekend-long farewell concert took place in Vermont on farmland in Coventry in August 2004, attracting nearly 70,000 fans.
Anastasio latest album, "Bar 17," was released on his own Rubber Jungle Records in October. He is set to tour later this month in support of the album, and was scheduled to appear at the Palace Theatre in Albany on Dec. 29.
Contact Alan J. Keays at alan.keays@rutlandherald.com.
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