Jamey Johnson Arrested for Alleged Marijuana Possession and Speeding Weeks After Speaking About Experience with Addiction

Jamey Johnson has been arrested for alleged possession and speeding, just weeks after opening up about his addiction issues.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Tennessee Highway Patrol confirmed with PEOPLE that the country star was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Williamson County, Tenn. The incident is still under investigation.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE from the General Sessions Court of Williamson, Tenn., Johnson was charged with violating a Tennessee law that is a Class E felony and prohibits possession of between half an ounce and 10 ounces of marijuana. Penalties for this charge, if convicted, range could result in one to six years in prison and up to $5,000 in fines.

He was also charged with allegedly speeding, a class C misdemeanor, which could result in a $200 fine.

The “High Cost of Living” singer, 49, was pulled over just before 10 p.m. on Sunday by highway patrol officers in Williamson County for speeding. According to the complaint, a state trooper alleges that Johnson was driving 87 miles per hour in a 70 miles per hour zone and claims they discovered several Ziploc bags of marijuana and pre-rolled joints in the musician’s car.

According to the Williamson County Online Court Records system, Johnson’s hearing is scheduled for Feb. 6, 2025.

Reps for Johnson have not yet responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Earlier this month, Johnson opened up to Billboard about his struggles with addiction and the inspiration behind his recent single “Sober,” written about his choice to stop drinking alcohol.

“I had my last drink in September 2011. Then I quit smoking pot in 2015. I think that lasted about eight years. Nine years,” he told the publication.

Johnson added: “In that time period, it was all about sobriety. And with a sober mind, I’m able to do things like get a pilot’s license, manage a business, start a product line.”

At the time, he revealed that he identifies as “sober for the most part,” but “every now and then, I may still break out a joint if I’m writing or something like that.”

Ultimately, Johnson said he doesn’t “play games with the alcohol.”

“That’s what led me down a dark path of self-destruction back then and I barely survived,” he added. “Alcohol was an incendiary way of destructing myself.”

In May, Johnson opened up to PEOPLE about the story behind his song “21 Guns,” a tribute to fallen servicemen and women, which he performed during PBS’s National Memorial Day Concert on May 26.

“I can tell you I have been to a lot of funerals for Marines that I served with,” he said. “Some of them that died in combat, and some of them that have passed away since. It is always heavy and there is always this realization that your friend is always going to be young. They stop growing at that age, and they will always be that age in your mind.”

Johnson continued: “It was written from knowing what I was thinking sitting there at the funeral and knowing what had to be on the minds of their family.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.