Sam Hunt Drunk Driving Court Delay is Not a Good Look
Look, we all make mistakes, and Sam Hunt is no criminal, unless the offense is high crimes and misdemeanors perpetrated against the institution of country music. But he did screw up, and big time when he went driving down the wrong side of a principal highway in Nashville early in the morning on November 21st, eventually getting pulled over and blowing a .173, which put him twice over the legal limit. He also got rung up for having some open containers in the car.
But he did the mea culpa on Twitter a couple of days later, saying he made a mistake and it will never happen again. And we sure hope it doesn’t, because all jokes aside, somebody could very easily have died in the incident. Nonetheless, you do your walk of shame out of the jail while the luring media gawks, have your mug shot splattered all over the internet by opportunistic bastards like Saving Country Music, pay your fine, do some community service or whatever since it’s a first offense, and move on. We all screw up.
But it was a little strange when Sam Hunt did not show up to court on January 17th like he was supposed to in order to commence the legal process behind the charges. Now you may be wondering why Saving Country Music is reporting on this aside from Sam Hunt being a favorite punching bag around these parts, but this situation is kind of strange, and there’s been some outright false reporting on the matter that deserves to be cleared up.
The always-shady Radar Online reported on January 17th that the reason Sam Hunt was not in court was due to the case being “…bound over and transferred to a higher court” which is “usually reserved for serious felonies.” The story also quotes a Davidson County court clerk as saying, “A prosecutor will work with a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against a potential defendant.”
This sounds like something major might be going down—that Sam Hunt could be in much more serious trouble than we all originally suspected. Perhaps the recklessness of the incident would result in more serious charges, or he had priors nobody knew about. Now, I’m not saying that some Davidson County Court clerk didn’t say these things to Radar Online, but what the same clerk office told Saving Country Music about the Radar Online reporting was, “That’s not true.” And doubled down when pressed on the issue.
“There was just a continuance,” the Davidson County Clerk said. “There’s been no disposition for the case yet. He just got it rescheduled. Nothing has been decided about the case. He hasn’t been to court yet so there is nothing about the case at all.”
Now Sam Hunt is scheduled to appear in front of Judge William Higgins at the Davidson County Criminal Court on March 17th for a trial. But as the court clerk explains, “Just because you’re having a trial doesn’t mean your having a trial by jury.” In other words, this doesn’t mean Sam Hunt has plead not guilty and is fighting the charges.
Nonetheless, delaying the court proceedings is not a good look for Sam Hunt. His mugshot and DUI details have been recycled through the news cycle once again due to the pushed court date. We don’t know if Hunt will try to be like your boozer uncle who works in sales that tries to fight the DUI on a technicality to keep a clean record, or if his lawyers just needed a little more time to get their ducks in a row. But Sam Hunt’s already admitted he’s responsible. He just needs to plead guilty, pay whatever debt the court decides he owes to society, and go back to making bad country music.
Going back and forth with the courts, and asking for continuances just smacks of not taking the situation seriously, or his sense of guilt seriously, which some criticized Hunt for when he fit his apology under the 280-character Twitter limit, and he first said it happened on a Thursday night instead of a Wednesday night (or morning). But you know, things can get cloudy.
Anyway, perhaps all this resolves on March 17th instead of January 17th. But a guy like Sam Hunt has way bigger penalties to face in the public eye than whatever punishment a county court can hand out for a first offense DUI if he monkeys around with this mess and tries to be above the law. He needs to just take his medicine, set a good example for the kiddos, and move on.
READ: Details of Sam Hunt DUI Arrest Result in Continued Fallout
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Editor’s Note: I would ask folks not to assume what is being asserted in this article, and instead let the article speak for itself. Radar Online posted that Sam Hunt’s case was “…bound over and transferred to a higher court” which is “usually reserved for serious felonies,” and that, “A prosecutor will work with a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against a potential defendant.”
All of this is false. Nonetheless, the fact that he delayed his initial court appearance resulted in dozens of stories about him “missing” his court date, and sent the matter back through the news cycle. That is “not a good look” as the title asserts. The article also clearly states as a quote from the Davidson County Clerk, “There was just a continuance,” the Davidson County Clerk said. “There’s been no disposition for the case yet. He just got it rescheduled. Nothing has been decided about the case. He hasn’t been to court yet so there is nothing about the case at all.”
Richard
January 23, 2020 @ 9:46 am
I don’t think this a big deal at all. It could be something as simple as a scheduling conflict with his attorney, or not wanting to cancel a show. It’s also really normal.
Trigger
January 23, 2020 @ 10:09 am
Look, there’s a few people making this point, and I’m sure I’m going to be hearing it all day, as that’s the way these things go. But I would ask folks not to assume what is being asserted in this article, and instead let it speak for itself.
Radar Online posted that Sam Hunt’s case was “…bound over and transferred to a higher court” which is “usually reserved for serious felonies,” and that, “A prosecutor will work with a grand jury to decide whether to bring criminal charges or an indictment against a potential defendant.”
All of this is false. Nonetheless, the fact that he delayed his initial court appearance resulted in dozens of stories about him “missing” his court date, and sent the matter back through the news cycle. Sorry, but that is “not a good look” as the title asserts. The article also clearly states as a quote from the Davidson County Clerk, “There was just a continuance,” the Davidson County Clerk said. “There’s been no disposition for the case yet. He just got it rescheduled. Nothing has been decided about the case. He hasn’t been to court yet so there is nothing about the case at all.”
Folks will assume I’m piling on because I hate Sam Hunt, and I also addressed that in the article. I understand folks think I hate Sam Hunt and that’s going to cloud why I reported on this story. But I believe it makes important points and sets the record straight, and is something I would have reported on anyway.
NateEsq.
January 28, 2020 @ 6:48 pm
Much ado about nothing. I’m a criminal defense attorney and posted a comment the first time we discussed this guy. 100% normal.
I’ve never had a Sam Hunt, but I’ve had cases with media attention before (TMZ and some other similar celeb tabloid I forgot the name of ) covered a case of mine a long time ago). You don’t commit IAC (Ineffective Assistance of Counsel) because your famous client doesn’t want news outlets reporting on his/her case.
Colter
January 23, 2020 @ 10:07 am
Everybody’s worried about a good look when they should be worried about a good hook.
Tom
January 23, 2020 @ 10:15 am
I can’t comment on what any of the quotes might mean, but continuances aren’t unusual in drunk driving cases at all. Sometimes it’s a scheduling issue, but more often the defendant is voluntarily completing the counseling and/or drunk driving classes that the judge will require at sentencing because it looks better if you do it voluntarily,
And yes, I’m speaking from experience.
Trigger
January 23, 2020 @ 10:21 am
If you’re Sam Hunt, you show up for your court date, you enter a plea, and you put this situation in the rear view mirror. Totally understand and respect it could be a very simple reason why they delayed the date. But that delay resulted in literally dozens of news stories about how Sam Hunt did not appear in court when he was supposed to. It also resulted in Radar Online posting that he might be up for “serious felonies” and his case was being sent to the Grand Jury. That’s not a good look.
Sam
January 29, 2020 @ 2:44 am
Trigger, this is standard procedure and it shouldn’t matter who it is. He wasn’t charged with a felony so he doesn’t need to show up and his lawyer is just buying time to reach a plea deal or finish up alcohol classes
Trigger
January 29, 2020 @ 8:30 am
Once again, the established reason in the public mind and in the press that Sam Hunt missed his court date before I posted this article was that his case was being moved to a higher court and he was up for “serious felonies.” This is and was untrue. If it was perhaps a procedural thing, then his people needed to come out and say that. I maintain it was not a “good look.” I’ll take responsibly for perhaps not presenting the info in this article in a better manner where my points were better taken. But all the information and opinions are valid.
Zach
January 23, 2020 @ 10:19 am
This is a fairly standard practice in cases like this. Just because you don’t like the guy (not a fan myself) doesn’t mean that you have to bag on him for doing what most lawyers would urge their clients to do, no matter their public stature. Trying to make the best of a bad situation, anybody would do the same in his position.
Trigger
January 23, 2020 @ 10:25 am
” Just because you don’t like the guy…”
See, this is why folks are taking the wrong impression from this article.
Radar Online reported that Sam Hunt could be up for felonies and his case had been sent to the Grand Jury. If anything, I did him a solid here. But as a critic and commentator, I think it’s fair to point out he could have avoided the whole mess if he had just kept the date.
Kingpete
January 23, 2020 @ 10:23 am
I did hear he made an appearance at a Bobby Bones’ charity show at the Ryman a couple weeks back. He got a pretty good welcome…from a crowd at a Bobby Bones’ charity show…
Craig Danger
January 23, 2020 @ 10:27 am
His “haircut” isn’t a good look either
63Guild
January 23, 2020 @ 12:43 pm
Still the most country thing he’s ever done
DJ
January 23, 2020 @ 1:45 pm
Sam Hunt is about as important to me as, well, Sam Hunt- bad publicity is better than no publicity, and Trigger, no good deed goes unpunished- LOL
Blagoye Bairsdale
January 23, 2020 @ 3:13 pm
I hope he does not go to jail. Can you imagine Sam Hunt 24/7 having the time to perfect his music as an “outlaw”? a mainstream radio outlaw will be pushed onto us at every opportunity!
Please Lord, let Satan have another minion and end this.
J
January 23, 2020 @ 3:36 pm
Sam Hunt isn’t saving country music.
That said, still better than another opine on Stu.
Trigger
January 23, 2020 @ 4:26 pm
Who ever said he was?
Never understood this idea that just because I talk about someone, it constitutes a ringing endorsement.
Pen
January 23, 2020 @ 4:43 pm
Saving country music should be a a group of people who encourage traditional country but never talk mean about others. That’s what makes country better.
You know the ones we love weren’t perfect either.
Trigger
January 23, 2020 @ 7:05 pm
Saving Country Music will be whatever I want it to be because I’m the one who devoted 12 years of my life to it, and has published over 5,800 articles here. I always appreciate feedback and opinions, but you nor anyone else is in a place to tell me what Saving Country Music should or shouldn’t be. You don’t like what I do here, start your own website, like I did.
wayne
January 24, 2020 @ 2:11 pm
Here here Trig. I am with you on that!
SG
January 23, 2020 @ 9:01 pm
“That’s what makes country better.”
Can’t wait to see your website myself, since you seem to have figured it all out. 🏆
Blagoye Bairsdale
January 24, 2020 @ 8:55 am
it is only words and It is only mean if they were not true. Mean behaviour including physical acts of “meanness” is a different matter. Most people used to be able to differentiate between APPARENT mean words, mean behaviours and most important, mean intent.
but what would a pen know?
Douglas Trapasso
January 23, 2020 @ 9:20 pm
A court hearing for Sam Hunt has been postponed. A release date for a new Sam Hunt CD has been . . . oh, this is just too easy.
Hey Arnold
January 24, 2020 @ 3:56 am
Maybe his current single will reach #1 at radio to coincide with the trial
#Marketing
sc
January 24, 2020 @ 4:47 am
lawyers usually go in there and delay the case. don’t know how they can weasel a defense for a .173, but get ready for the excuses. he’s bipolar, his girlfriend dumped with him, he’s on medication that conflicts with alcohol, took too many prescribed pills and blacked out, he’s the victim here, etc.