After five years of legal battles to bury a police video of his humiliating 2012 arrest, country singer Randy Travis was forced to concede on Friday, Dec. 1, when a federal judge ordered the tape to be released to the public.
A federal judge has ordered the release of the controversial videotape of Randy Travis being arrested after crashing his car in 2012. (Screenshot from released video / compositing by Tom Ozimek)
The embattled star was naked and belligerent when he was arrested by deputies after crashing his car near Tioga, Texas. His blood alcohol level tested at 0.21, according to Foxnews, which is more than double the legal limit.
The unflattering videotape lasts for 3 hours. Travis, unclothed and cursing, threatens to kill the arresting officer and makes sneering comments about his wife and family. It is unsurprising the amount of effort he put in to make sure the tape never saw the light of day.
Travis’s legal team argued that since he sustained a concussion that day, the footage falls under the jurisdiction of medical record and as such should remain private, writes savingcountrymusic.com. However, some media outlets did not see it that way, arguing that the public has the right to view police dashcam footage as a matter of principle. The courts agreed and the tape was published on Monday, Dec. 4, to the relish of some, and the ire of others.
Randy Travis wrecked his Trans Am and was found naked at the crash scene. “Randy’s behavior was extremely altered the evening of his arrest due to the state of his mental health, and substances in his body,” Travis’s publicist wrote in a statement, “causing him to do and say things that were entirely out of character.”
The publicist also expressed profound remorse on Travis’s behalf.
“Randy had a severe concussion and other side effects from the accident and other health conditions,” states the most recent post on Travis’s official Facebook fan page.
“We need friends and fans support to keep this sealed, as it should be,” it states, and encourages supporters to sign a petition.
Travis suffered a stroke in 2013, and has been battling health issues ever since.
The country singer’s official website www.randytravis.com makes no mention of tape-related tribulations. The latest entry in the ‘News & Updates’ section is of a June 16 meet-and-greet: “Without Words, Randy Travis Makes Fans’ Dreams Come True,” reads the caption.
The Bio section is much more dated.
“Country superstar Randy Travis is celebrating the 25th anniversary of his award-studded career with a stellar cast of collaborators,” reads the entry, in reference to the 2011 release of his Anniversary Celebration CD.
Travis is quoted:
“‘It doesn’t seem possible that it has been 25 years,’ Randy comments wistfully. ‘Time flies.’”
From some memories though, not nearly fast enough.
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This is the full statement provided by Travis’ publicist:
Randy’s behavior was extremely altered the evening of his arrest due to the state of his mental health, and substances in his body, causing him to do and say things that were entirely out of character. He suffered a severe concussion and sustained numerous other injuries from the crash.
Notwithstanding the release of the tape, Randy and his team will have their day in court regarding the ongoing lawsuit against the State of Texas in relation to the violation of his civil rights.
Randy Travis is well-known to be a loving, caring person who is respectful of everyone, a video that shows anything otherwise only underscores that he was absolutely not himself. Randy is deeply apologetic for his actions that evening. A man of integrity with a good heart, Randy does not and will never condone these types of actions that distort the true beliefs of Randy Travis and his entire family.
Tom Ozimek is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times. He has a broad background in journalism, deposit insurance, marketing and communications, and adult education.
