Police Blotter–Mark Collie and Mindy McCready
Boy, it’s been a rough few days for a couple of country singers–Mark Collie was arrested and charged with DUI here in Nashville on Thursday night (7/19), and Mindy McCready, who has been in enough trouble over the past few years to last three lifetimes, was arrested in Ft. Myers, Florida yesterday and charged with battery and resisting arrest.
Mark Collie, country singer-songwriter who was signed to MCA Nashville from 1990 through 1994, was found slumped over the steering wheel of a car with the engine running near 21st Avenue and Scarritt Place (in the Vanderbilt University/Music Row/Hillsboro Village area) by Vanderbilt University police officer Jeremy Douglas Baker. The 51-year-old Collie had the keys in the ignition, but wasn’t driving at the time of the arrest. Someone had apparently called in, and Office Baker found Collie when he went to investigate. According to an affidavit by Officer Baker, he woke up Collie, and and asked him if he was ok. Collie responded by by stating “he had drunk a beer”, per the affidavit, and was emanating a strong odor of alcohol and had bloodshot, watery eyes (as evidenced by the mug shot). He then agreed to take a field sobriety test, which he failed, but refused to allow his blood to be drawn for alcohol testing unless his personal physician was present–which resulted in him being charged with implied consent. Collie was booked into Metro jail at 10:26 Thursday night, and after posting a $1,500 bond, he was released Friday morning at 2:12 a.m.
Mark Collie was born in Waynesboro, TN, and joined his first band at age 12. He earned a strong local following through regular performances at Douglas Corner Cage, and was eventually signed to MCA. Although his debut album, Hardin County Line, garnered him critical success, it wasn’t until 1993’s Mark Collie that he really broke out, returned to debut’s rockin’, rowdy style. That album brought him his first two top 10 hits, “Even the Man in the Moon Is Cryin’” and “Born to Love You.”. Collie parted ways with MCA in 1994 to pair up with longtime friend and uber-producer James Stroud (Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Tracy Lawrence, and Clint Black just to name a few people he’s worked with) to record and co-produce his Giant Records debut–Tennessee Plates. He’s also been involved with film and television work since 1998, beginning with his film debut in Steven Seagall’s Fire Down Below , much of which was shot locally, and featured several country artists, including Kris Kristofferson (LEGEND!), Randy Travis (still one of the best voices in the business, IMHO), Marty Stuart, and Travis Tritt.
Collie was diagnosed with diabetes as a teenager, and has been a major advocate for diabetes research, founding the Mark Collie Foundation–which provides financial support for diabetes and diabetes research to the American Diabetic Association, The Vanderbilt Diabetes Center, and the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. He started the Mark Collie Celebrity Race for Diabetes Cure in 1994, and has raised over $2.5 million since doing so (I remember seeing everyone from ZZ Top to Brooks & Dunn, Tim McGraw, John Hiatt, and Sterling Marlin running in this time!). Collie was also voted Tennessean of the Year in 1995.
You may wonder why I elaborated on the bio, and brought up his foundation, charity work, and the Tennessean of the Year award when he just got busted for DUI…..it’s because I don’t know what the situation and circumstances leading up to this were, and the man a) has talent, and b) has done an awful lot of good to help an awful lot of people. Looks like he made a mistake, but I’m praying for him tonight, and damn it all–PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE people–whether you’re country singers, rock-n-rollers, or just folks–call a cab, call a friend, or at least turn the car off, and take your keys out of the ignition.
In other “What Was I Thinking” news–Mindy McCready was arrested and jailed Friday (7/20) in Pinellas County, Florida. McCready is accused of violating her probation on a drug conviction, and, as this is her second violation, she is expected to have to do jail time and can’t post bail. According to the arrest warrant, McCready left Tennessee without first getting permission from her probation office, and then didn’t report to said probation office during the month of July. She was released on $1, 000 bond Saturday, and has a court appearance scheduled for August 14.
McCready had a big hit in 1996 with “Boys Do It All the Time”, and was engaged to Dean Cain, of Lois and Clark fame, from 1997-98. Over the past two years, she’s been in the news for everything for prescription fraud, DUI, suicide attempt, drug overdose, her boyfriend/fiance’/whatever tried to kill her, and the list goes on. Again, she obviously needs help, in a major way, and I’ll be praying that someone can get her turned around (although not necessarily back in the music bid’ness, as I think that would be like taking a match to gasoline.
2 Comments
It was Lee County Florida, are the rest of your facts right? Good day
Sherri–Thanks for the correction. I try to research and report as accurately as possible, but we all make mistakes. I don’t take any pleasure in seeing people’s problems played out in the media, and try to keep my blog upbeat and positive. My main goal is to support the music–local, regional, national, country, rock, pop, whatever. I hear tons of things about lots of big name people, some of which I know are true because I’ve been there and seen it myself, and some are just the products of the endless rumor mill–but I don’t post about those things, because I’m not about trashing folks. But sometimes things are just getting so much attention, I feel like it’s relevant to post about them. My heart genuinely goes out to Ms. McCready, I can’t imagine how hard it has to be to see your problems blasted all over creation, and I hope to see her come through this, and make some more music.