Alabama’s founding member and bassist Teddy Gentry was detained on marijuana-related charges on Monday in the group’s home state.
For unlawful possessing marijuana in the graduate program and illegal possessing drug paraphernalia, Gentry, 70, was placed in the Cherokee County Jail, according to jail records.
According to a Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office official who talked with PEOPLE, he was released on his own recognizance less than 30 minutes later. The spokeswoman clarifies that Gentry will appear in court at a later date.
Both of Gentry’s accusations are misdemeanors under Alabama law because recreational marijuana is illegal in the state, which means that unlawful possession in the second degree suggests the marijuana was only intended for personal use.
According to the spokesperson, Gentry was the driver of a speeding car when it was stopped by a deputy, who then made the arrest during a traffic stop.
The event is not anticipated to have any effect on Alabama’s upcoming tour dates, which are planned to run through December, according to a representative for the band, who declined to comment.
Along with his cousins Randy Owen and Jeff Cook, Gentry, who resides in Fort Payne, Alabama, is a founding member of the popular country band. Late in the 1960s, the trio formed the band under the moniker Wild Country. In 1977, they changed their name to Alabama.
The band has dates listed through a performance at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on December 11. Their next tour stop is slated for September 23 at Ball Arena in Denver.
The group sold Reservoir Media its interest in its collection of recorded music rights last year. Over two dozen No. 1 successes can be found in the repertoire, which spans 20 RCA Nashville albums that were published between 1980 and 2007. Two of these songs, “Love in the First Degree” and “Feels So Right,” also reached high positions on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. One of its most popular songs, “Dixieland Delight,” peaked at No. 1 on the Country Airplay chart in 1983.
According to their website, the “Dixieland Delight” singers have sold 73 million albums, achieved 21 consecutive No. 1 singles, and were elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005.