Alabama Shakes drummer Steve Johnson was being held in jail on Sunday on charges of “willful torture” and abuse of a child, according to reports and jail records.
The founding member of the Grammy Award-winning rock band was arrested on Wednesday and was ordered held in Alabama’s Limestone County Jail on Sunday morning, jail records show.
He was indicted on charges of willful torture, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18, News 19 said. No further details were given on the alleged abuse.
The 35-year-old rocker was also accused of violating conditions of his probation given along with a one-year suspended sentence in March 2020 after he pleaded guilty to violating a protective order, WAFF said.
The Limestone County District Attorney, Brian Jones, asked the court to revoke that suspended sentence after the latest accusations, the outlet said.
He alleged that Johnson “failed to avoid injurious or vicious habits” and “failed to avoid persons or places of disreputable or harmful conduct or character,” according to WAFF.
Johnson was held on bond set at $21,500, records show. It was not clear if he has an attorney who could comment on the charges. Managers for the band did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
An arraignment date is set for April 7.
After success with hits like “Hold On,” Johnson and his bandmates from Athens, Alabama, have been on hiatus since 2018, when lead singer Brittany Howard decided to focus on her solo project.
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