Randy Travis speaks out after release of footage from 2012 naked drunk driving arrest
Randy Travis’s infamous DUI arrest is still haunting him.
The country singer, 58, was memorably busted for drunken driving in 2012, after crashing his Pontiac Trans Am in Tioga, Texas. However, it wasn’t your typical arrest — he was naked at the scene and became combative with police, saying things like he wanted to shoot the officers who had arrested him and wished that they would get cancer. His blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit. Travis, who pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation, had long been trying to block the release of the arrest video, taking his argument to federal court, but Texas officials released it on Monday after a judge ruled that the video did not violate the star’s right to privacy.
Travis, who suffered a near-fatal stroke a year after his arrest and is still working to regain his speaking skills, released a statement after the three-hour video of his arrest hit the internet on Monday.
“Randy’s behavior was extremely altered the evening of his arrest due to the state of his mental health, and substances in his body, causing him to do and say things that were entirely out of character,” his rep said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment. “He suffered a severe concussion and sustained numerous other injuries from the crash.
“Notwithstanding the release of the tape, Randy and his team will have their day in court regarding the ongoing lawsuit against the State of Texas in relation to the violation of his civil rights.”
The statement concluded: “Randy Travis is well-known to be a loving, caring person who is respectful of everyone, a video that shows anything otherwise only underscores that he was absolutely not himself. Randy is deeply apologetic for his actions that evening. A man of integrity with a good heart, Randy does not and will never condone these types of actions that distort the true beliefs of Randy Travis and his entire family.”
The DUI is just one thing Travis is dealing with. His health is a challenge he is dealing with daily. In an interview earlier this year, the singer, who flatlined three times after his stroke and now uses a wheelchair, described himself as “damaged.” However, the seven-time Grammy winner has relearned how to sing a few songs. When he performed a few lyrics from the hymn “Amazing Grace” at his October 2016 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he brought the audience to tears.
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