Coming clean. Sam Hunt broke his silence after he was arrested for driving while under the influence on Thursday, November 21.
“Thursday night I decided to drive myself home after drinking at a friend’s show in downtown Nashville,” Hunt, 34, tweeted on Friday, November 22. “It was a poor and selfish decision and I apologize to everyone who was unknowingly put at risk and let down by it.”
The “Body Like a Back Road” crooner added that it “won’t happen again.”
Nashville Public Affairs confirmed to Us Weekly on Thursday that Hunt was arrested for a DUI. He was allegedly driving the wrong way and swerving in and out of the lane around 6:30 a.m.
“When officers got behind the vehicle the driver had difficulty staying in the lane of travel and crossed the center divide several times before a stop was initiated,” the police report stated. “Once the stop was initiated and contact made, there was an obvious odor consistent with alcoholic beverage coming from the defendant as well as red bloodshot and watery eyes.”
According to the arrest doc, there were “two empty beers in the vehicle” beside Hunt. The “House Party” singer additionally confessed to “consuming alcohol recently,” and the report also indicated that he “showed numerous signs of impairment on all tests conducted.”
After officials observed Hunt’s behavior over a 20-minute period, they tested his blood alcohol content level, which hit .173 — well above the legal limit of .08.
Hunt was subsequently taken into police custody following the incident, but was released from Metro Nashville jail hours later on a $2,500 bond. Footage of his departure was obtained by WKRN.
Hunt’s arrest comes as he is gearing up to release his second studio album. Though he dropped his lead single “Kinfolks” last month, he recently opened up about why he’s taking longer to release his sophomore record — which is slated to debut sometime in 2020.
“About a year ago, I decided over the next 12 months, I’m going to write a record,” he explained to ET Canada in September. “Whatever comes of it, I’m going to put out. That has come and gone. As of the first of this month, that’s when I would’ve said that.”
Hunt continued, “I got to a point where I really didn’t feel like I was smelling the roses because it happened so fast, so I stepped back and kind of digested it all. More than anything, I made a conscious effort to think about how I wanted the next few years ago and … how I wanted to experience my 30s and how I wanted to approach music going forward.”
The Grammy nominee is expected to appear in court regarding the DUI arrest on Friday, January 17.
