The son of Arkansas' governor was arrested Saturday by Alabama law enforcement officials who say they caught him trying to sneak party drugs into a music festival.
Asa Hutchinson III, 40, of Benton was booked into the Baldwin County jail early Saturday night.
He faces a felony drug possession charge for bringing what officers believed to be two "Molly" capsules and four "ecstasy" tablets into the Hangout Music Festival.
"Molly" and "ecstasy" are street terms for drugs derived from MDMA, a psychoactive drug that can give users heightened senses as well as a sense of euphoria. The drugs are commonly associated with rave, club and electronic dance music cultures.
Baldwin County sheriff's officials said deputies from that office and Gulf Shores Police Department officers were working at the Hangout Music Festival when they spotted a "white male subject concealing an unknown item in his rear waistband."
Investigators said they asked the man if he had any "contraband." They said Hutchinson handed over a flask containing "unknown alcohol." A search of Hutchinson then yielded the capsules and tablets.
Hutchinson left the Alabama jail at 3:50 a.m. Sunday after posting a $5,000 bond.
His father, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, is a former federal prosecutor and administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The governor said Monday at a news conference it was a difficult situation for family.
"Those are the days it's tough to be a parent, it's tough to be a son," Hutchinson said. "I think every parent and every son would identify and understand that problem. My son's an adult and he'll have to address this just like he has had to address things in the past."
The younger Hutchinson has been charged three times with driving while intoxicated, most recently in January.
In 2001, the younger Hutchinson, then 25, was arrested by state police near Sherwood and charged with DWI. According to earlier reports, Hutchinson had pleaded guilty to a DWI in Fayetteville five years before the Sherwood arrest.
In January, Hutchinson was charged with a DWI offense after a crash in Fayetteville. According to state police, troopers found Hutchinson's vehicle near the Fulbright Expressway after he crashed into a guardrail shortly before 4 a.m. Jan. 26. He told officers that he fell asleep before the crash. He refused to take a field sobriety test.
Fayetteville court officials said Hutchinson, who had pleaded innocent in the January arrest, will go to trial on June 8.
Metro on 05/24/2016