Red hot country artist Zach Bryan was arrested for “obstruction of investigation” in Oklahoma on Thursday and released on bond later that day, according to his social media posts.
“Today I had an incident with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol,” he wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Emotions got the best of me and I was out of line in the things I said. I support law enforcement as much as anyone can, I was just frustrated in the moment, it was unlike me and I apologize. They brought me to jail, and there is a mug shot of me floating around. Prayers we can all move on from this and prayers people know I’m just trying the best I can, I love you guys and I am truly sorry to the officers.”
In a later post written after he’d consumed “seven Red Bulls,” he added, “I was an idiot, I’ll deal with the legalities when I get home, and I shouldn’t have behaved like that.” Bryan said he was initially pulled over for exceeding the speed limit and declined to give his address when asked by the police officer. A verbal confrontation ensued but cooler heads prevailed and Bryan was let off with a warning.
In a separate incident, Bryan’s security guard was pulled over, and Bryan exited the vehicle to have a cigarette. When the arresting officer told him to return to the car, Bryan refused on the grounds that he wasn’t the one who’d been stopped. After another verbal confrontation, he was promptly arrested and spent several hours in jail.
The news is all the more incongruous considering Bryan’s recent run of success, which has propelled his self-titled sophomore album to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and his single “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. The artist’s recently announced 2024 Quttin’ Time tour is also doing big business, despite some griping from fans about high ticket prices.
