LITTLE ROCK — Country singer Willie Nelson was charged with marijuana possession after 6 ounces was found aboard histour bus in Texas, said a U.S. Border Patrol spokesman. The bus pulled into the Sierra Blanca, Texas, checkpoint about 9 a.m. Friday, said patrol spokesman Bill Brooks. Brooks said an officer smelled marijuana when a door was opened and a search turned up marijuana. The Hudspeth County sheriff was contacted and Nelson was among three people arrested, Brooks said. Sheriff Arvin West didn’t immediately return a phone message left at his home Friday, but he told the El Paso Times that Nelson claimed the marijuana was his. The singer was held briefly in lieu of a $2,500 bond before being released. Nelson’s spokesman Elaine Schock declined to comment when contacted.
Kid Rock always has been a hot ticket in the Detroit area, but sales for a coming concert indicate the countryrocker with hip-hop roots is on fire. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press reported Friday that more than 45,000 tickets for his 40th birthday bash Jan. 15 at Ford Field sold out in only 19 minutes. A limited number of VIP packages remained at a cost of $300. A show representative told the Free Press that a second Ford Field date will not be added. Kid Rock’s real name is Robert Ritchie. He grew up in northern Macomb County’s Romeo and now lives in Oakland County’s Clarkston. He has sold more than 180,000 tickets over the past 14 months for shows in the Detroit area.
Front Section, Pages 2 on 11/28/2010