Pubdate: Sun, 14 Oct 2012
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2012 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Author: Molly Hennessy-Fiske

TEXAS CHECKPOINT BUSTS A ROGUE'S GALLERY OF STARS

Nelly's Tour Bus Is Stopped at the Same Place Fiona Apple Was 
Arrested Last Month.

HOUSTON - Heroin, 10 pounds of marijuana and a loaded handgun were 
allegedly found on the tour bus of rapper Nelly on Wednesday night. 
And if he were considering a war of words with local law enforcement, 
singer Fiona Apple might advise him to think twice.

The seizure occurred at a Border Patrol checkpoint on a lonely 
stretch of West Texas' Interstate 10 that has become infamous for 
celebrity drug busts. Also busted have been country singer Willie 
Nelson, actor Armand "Armie" Hammer, rapper Snoop Dogg and the 
aforementioned Apple.

Nelly, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. in Austin, was detained but not 
arrested in Sierra Blanca (population roughly 600), Hudspeth County 
sheriff 's officials told The Times.

Nelly's tour bus was traveling east on I-10 when it was stopped at 
about 8 p.m. at the Border Patrol checkpoint about 80 miles east of 
El Paso. Officials brought in a drug-sniffing dog, which led to the 
discovery of a box containing marijuana, 36 "very small" plastic bags 
of heroin and a loaded .45-caliber handgun, officials said.

The drugs and gun were linked to Nelly's bodyguard, Brian Keith 
Jones, whom deputies arrested.

Nelly, 37, whose hits include "Hot in Herre," was not pleased, 
judging from his Twitter account.

"2have some1 who works 4u n who u call a friend 4 ova 10years 
jeopardize ur life WTF?... No excuses for wad he did!!!"

Numerous bloggers have advised musicians to avoid the checkpoint, 
suggesting alternative routes through Albuquerque and Amarillo. And 
you'd think they'd have learned their lesson after Apple (perhaps 
best known for her 1998 Grammy-winning hit "Criminal") was busted 
last month on her way from Tucson to Austin.

At the time, a drug-sniffing dog zeroed in on a small amount of 
marijuana and hashish, and Apple (whose legal last name is Maggart), 
35, "freely admitted that the controlled substances belonged to her 
and she was placed under arrest by U.S. Border Patrol agents and 
detained," sheriff 's officials said in a news release.

Apple spent the night in jail, was released the following day on 
$10,000 bond and made it to Houston in time for a Friday show.

That's when things got publicly interesting.

In a little pre-show banter posted on Pitchfork, Apple told the 
Houston audience about her time in Hudspeth County Jail and the 
"inappropriate and probably illegal" behavior of four sheriff 's employees.

"I want you to know that I heard everything you did. I wrote it all 
down with your names and everything you did and said stupidly 
thinking that I couldn't hear or see you," she said.

"I then ripped the paper up, but not before I encoded it and ... I 
got two lock boxes. We'll call them 'Holding Cell 1' and ' Holding 
Cell 2.' In 'Holding Cell 1' is the encoded version of the [stuff] 
that you did that I know was inappropriate and probably illegal. In 
'Holding Cell 2' is the decoder. I'm the only one who holds the key, 
and you and I will be intimate forever because I will hold that 
secret forever.... Unless you're interested in being a celebrity."

Hudspeth County Sheriff 's spokesman Gary "Rusty" Fleming fired back 
with an official statement.

"1. If Miss Apple has a legal complaint we urge her to immediately 
contact the state attorney general's office for the state of Texas. 
(We'll give her the number if she needs that.)

"2. If she has an ethical complaint against any 
employee/jailer/deputy of this department, she needs to report that 
directly to the internal affairs division of the Hudspeth County 
Sheriff 's Office. (She spent the night with us here, so she probably 
already has that number.)"

Fleming followed up with a personal statement just for Apple. It read in part:

"Honey, I'm already more famous than you, I don't need your help.

"However, it would appear that you need mine. Two weeks ago nobody in 
the country cared about what you had to say - now that you've been 
arrested it appears your entire career has been jump-started. Don't 
worry Sweetie, I won't bill you."

After warning against bringing drugs to Texas and noting other 
celebrity arrests, the statement concluded:

"My last piece of advice is simple, ' just shut up and sing.' "

Reached Friday, Fleming sounded a bit apologetic. "I did not mean to 
be misogynistic or chauvinistic in that letter.... I was being 
ridiculous because I thought two lockboxes and a decoder was 
ridiculous," he told The Times.

Fleming said Apple and other entertainers traveling I-10 are not 
targeted for searches.

"Everybody gets pulled over into that station - it's not a thing 
where people get profiled," he said.

Avoiding Sierra Blanca won't do much good, he added.

"We have patrols on those back roads," he said, "The better thing to 
do would be to throw the dope away before you get to Texas."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom