[Harp-L] Popper Arrested

["bobby" <bobby@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From USATODAY

Blues Traveler's Popper arrested 
   
Blues Traveler front man John Popper was not behind the wheel, but was 
arrested when police found weapons and marijuana in his vehicle. 
  
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) ? Blues Traveler singer and harmonica player John Popper 
was arrested after the vehicle he was riding in was clocked going 111 mph, 
the Washington State Patrol said Wednesday. Popper, 39, was arrested Tuesday 
afternoon on Interstate 90 near the Spokane/Lincoln county line, the 
Washington State Patrol said.

Inside the black Mercedes SUV, officers found a cache of weapons and a small 
amount of marijuana, the Patrol said. A police dog searched the vehicle, 
finding numerous hidden compartments containing four rifles, nine handguns 
and a switchblade knife. Authorities also found a Taser and night vision 
goggles. The vehicle was seized.

Popper, who lives in Snohomish, Wash., is the owner of the vehicle, which was 
being driven by Brian Gourgeois, 34, of Austin, Texas, said state patrol 
Trooper Jeff Sevigney. The vehicle also had flashing emergency headlights, a 
siren and a public address system, the Patrol said.

"Popper indicated to troopers that he had installed these items in his 
vehicle because (in the event of a natural disaster) he didn't want to be 
left behind," the Patrol said in a news release. He also told officers he 
collected weapons, the Patrol said.

The two men were booked administratively into the Adams County jail and 
released on their own recognizance. Authorities plan to charge them with 
possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. 
Gourgeois will also face a charge of reckless driving, the Patrol said.

Popper did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment Wednesday night.

Popper achieved fame as a harmonica player and frontman for Blues Traveler. 
The band won a Grammy award in 1996 for the song Run-around, which Popper 
composed.

Popper recently formed a group called The John Popper Project with DJ Logic, 
which released an album in 2006 and is scheduled to go on the road later this 
month.