“Think A Little Less” Singer Michael Ray Arrested for DUI / Drugs at McDonald’s
This story has been updated.
Pop country star Michael Ray—known for songs such as “Think A Little Less” and “Real Men Love Jesus”—was arrested 3 a.m. Wednesday (12-20) morning in Eustis, Florida for DUI and drug possession after he rear ended another vehicle in the drive thru at a local McDonald’s. Ray, who was driving a Jeep Wrangler, says his foot slipped off the brake pedal, hitting the car in front of him.
When police arrived, they noticed his eyes were bloodshot, and proceeded to give the singer a sobriety test. Along with being over the legal limit, police found weed oil in his possession. The 29-year-old whose full name is Michael Ray Roach, was booked into the Lake County jail, and held on $6,000 bond. Ray had recently played a show in Florida on December 16th in Ft. Myers, but is originally from Florida and was born in Eustis.
Michael Ray is considered an up-and-coming mainstream country star signed to Warner Music in Nashville, with a #1 hit “Kiss You in the Morning,” and a #2 hit with “Think A Little Less.” Michael Ray was discovered on the reality singing competition The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep, where he was mentored by Big & Rich.
UPDATE: Michael Ray has released a statement about the incident.
“I want to apologize to my fans, family, and my hometown community for placing myself in this situation. I am so very sorry for the disappointment these events have caused everyone. I know it will take time; however, I will do everything I can to rebuild your trust.”
December 20, 2017 @ 1:02 pm
Step 1: A spin piece from Warner Music Nashville’s PR department.
Step 2: A “stint in rehab.”
Step 3: Undying support from the fangirls and Bobby Bones.
Step 4: Forge ahead with desecrating the genre.
December 20, 2017 @ 1:03 pm
Just following in the footsteps of Cash, Jones, etc….country is NOT dead!
December 20, 2017 @ 1:10 pm
If you look on Facebook, fans are posting on various radio station pages and asking “Did you see this about Michael Ray” etc. and the radio stations and other country music outlets are replying with “We will not be reporting on this unfortunate incident. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Only in country music do they pretend like the bad things never happen to protect themselves….
December 20, 2017 @ 1:27 pm
What a bunch of pussies.
December 20, 2017 @ 5:52 pm
I do not understand people who think DUIs are no big deal. There is a whole culture in the town where my husband is from of “booze cruising,” like drunk driving deserves some cute name that makes it seem less horrible.
Anyways, Michael Ray could have killed someone. He sucks.
December 21, 2017 @ 7:36 am
I don’t understand people who want to punish people for “he could have”.
He didn’t, AND if he did then he should be appropriately charged.
Just imagine if thought policing were a crime. You’d be a criminal and no less horrible IF your thought policing caused harm to another.
I don’t even drink, or smoke pot, but, this country’s founding principle is the right of the individual to choose his own path. As long as no harm is caused (“he could have” is not a crime- yet, though gov’t {and apparently you and those who “liked” your comment} think(?) it is) then no harm, no foul. IF a person or property is damaged then, and only then, should an individual be “punished” appropriately and with recompense. There’s a whole culture all over this country who doesn’t understand that no one has the right to tell another how he should live, especially a gov’t whose sole purpose is to generate revenue on “could have”.
December 21, 2017 @ 7:57 am
Most zealous proponents of stringent DUI laws are less concerned about safety on the road and are consumed by their obsession with alcohol. They are neo-Puritans. There are thousands of things you can do in a car to distract you and make your driving less safe. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen a mom in a van or an over-sized SUV turn completely around and face backwards to deal with kids in the backseat, I’d be a rich man. A non-accident-related DUI is a “pre-crime.” There is no victim. Its like arresting a guy outside a bank because he has a ski mask in his car. Its also incidental to the crime. If I’m driving with alcohol in my system and I drive over my neighbor’s mailbox, the crime is not that I was driving with alcohol in my system, the crime is that I damaged my neighbor’s mailbox and I must make him whole again. I have often seen repeated the claim, by MADD and other such organizations, that the person who gets a DUI has driven drunk hundreds or thousands of times before actually being caught. I’ve never heard a better argument for the harmlessness of tooling around after having a couple pops. The racket is now so well-established and the cops, lawyers, government, special interest groups, etc. make so much money from it that there is no chance that the laws could ever be made reasonable.
December 21, 2017 @ 10:39 am
“I have often seen repeated the claim, by MADD and other such organizations, that the person who gets a DUI has driven drunk hundreds or thousands of times before actually being caught.”
Meaning the driver drove hundreds or thousands of times drunk and caused no harm.
Sounds like an ordinary driver in a numbers game racket, i.e., driving.
But, those like the poster who said he “could have” are the result of a misappropriation of the words well educated. They aren’t well educated. They believe what they’re told which is basically brain washing using emotion to sell emotion as fact creating a “need” where none existed. Damaging property (as you pointed out) or harming a person is a crime and the perpetrator needs to be held accountable. It a shame people want to persecute with “he could have”.
People don’t seem to understand what freedom means. They seem to want it to mean they’re safe from “could have”, would have, might, likely to and make it a crime to make them feel unsafe. SMH…. I’m so glad don’t have much longer to live and watch this great experiment fail worse than it already has.
Maybe “they” should make it a crime to grow old because the old will die and somebody will ‘maybe’ feel bad.
May 29, 2018 @ 5:36 pm
I sort-of agree, the real crime is what happens when you cause an accident while drunk driving. It is however extremely irresponsible to drive drunk. Sure at the limit, most people drive fine, and in my town some officers have taken to telling people that they can not drive at all if they have alcohol in their system. I was pulled over after drinking 2 beers over 3 hours, and blew a .03. The police woman that pulled me over told me that I would have to go to the jail with her, and wait for a ride because I should not be driving with alcohol in my system. I told her that if it was that big of a deal that I would just walk home since I had broken no laws. She told me that it was too dangerous to walk home(country road just outside of town.) I told her that I had broken no laws, and that I should be free to go, but she told me that I was resisting her, and would be arrested if I did not ride to jail with her until I could get a friend to pick me up. Thankfully another police officer showed up about that time, and told her that he would just take me home, and that I could get my truck in the morning.
As the male officer took me home, he told me that the female officer had been pulling this stunt quite a bit lately, and that legally I had done nothing wrong. I went back to my truck the next day, and someone had broken a light off, and the female officer had left a ticket in the truck that said I was driving with a broken tail light. I tried to get out of it in court, but the judge said that there was no record of her testing me for alcohol, and that the ticket was for my tail light, and would not believe me that it was working the night before.
December 21, 2017 @ 11:52 am
“Michael Ray could have killed someone. He sucks.” I think the same thing about little Brittany driving down the street everyday 10 miles under the speed limit because she has her face buried in her phone. I bet she never even gets stopped but she could’ve killed someone the other day! The point is every time someone gets behind the wheel it’s a possibility.
December 20, 2017 @ 1:12 pm
willin to bet if that was ole sturgiss simpson or chris stapaldan yalled all be. Goin on about how much of a out law he is and u no wut elss that thanka lil less song aint haff bad
December 20, 2017 @ 2:51 pm
i ondorstand ur poynt butt note shure hau outlaw sleeping ur foots offada pedal at Mikey Dees be. Thutful obeseravation dough
December 20, 2017 @ 4:31 pm
From your typin, it sure does seem like ol Teetos Vodka is keeping you good an stocked up on there produkt. Git it!
December 20, 2017 @ 1:44 pm
He was thinking a little less (and drinking a little more).
December 20, 2017 @ 2:41 pm
His real last name is Roach? That explains a lot
December 20, 2017 @ 2:57 pm
Well at last he has done something a real country artist would do!
December 20, 2017 @ 3:14 pm
He should have been arrested for that awful song.
December 20, 2017 @ 3:25 pm
I guess he should have… thought a little more. *Puts on sunglasses* YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
December 20, 2017 @ 3:45 pm
Police found weed oil? So? If he damaged the other vehicle give him the appropriate citation and make him pay for it. Case closed.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:18 pm
I’d like to wait and see what his BAC level was before I pass judgement. I’m not reading that anywhere yet. Yes, it matters. I was in line at the drive through one night and I was digging in my pocket for the wallet. My car went forward a bit but not even close to hitting car in front of me. It wasn’t 3am and I wasn’t drunk , I had had a couple earlier but I’m sure I would’ve passed the tests. Who needs the aggravation. I’m not saying what he did wasn’t stupid This was a goofy accident and he didn’t pass the field tests which is possible even if you’re under the limit and you’ll still be arrested but probably not convicted if at .08 or under. There’s a difference if you bump somebody at the drive through and you’re a hair over the limit or you mow down a crowd and blow a .28. I’ll wait and see. Another thing is many times for average people you hear about someone getting a DUI in the paper but you rarely hear when they’re not convicted. Celebs you do most of the time.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:43 pm
Fair enough to wait and see. Judging by his mugshot though, he won’t be very close to the legal limit.
December 20, 2017 @ 7:13 pm
Said he refused a breathalyzer so may not know
December 20, 2017 @ 4:21 pm
Marijuana is for nerds, geeks, hipsters, filthy hippies, Marxists, social justice warriors, thugs, bums, boomers, yuppies, registered Green party members, libertarians, hacky-sack devotees, ultimate frisbee players, college professors, slackers, people who play video games, skateboarders, Prius drivers, soccer fans, people who listen to Bob Marley/Sublime/Widespread Panic/other assorted shitty music, people who wear skinny pants, vegans, people who are allergic to peanut butter, and people with COEXIST stickers on their bumpers, as well as most other varieties of losers.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:34 pm
Ok, grandma. Seems you took the movie Reefer Madness a little too literally.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:46 pm
You forgot one, marijuana’s for real men who love Jesus.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:51 pm
And democrats, republicans, everything french, poison toads, marvel movies, bad mustard, the lakers, rabid monkeys, evil monkeys, monkies, fucke-up monks, possesed nuns, cardinals(either), one pronged forks, bad AC and fermented cabbage.
December 20, 2017 @ 5:02 pm
So you’re obviously not a fan of Willie Nelson either?
December 20, 2017 @ 5:30 pm
I’m a conservative, republican blue color construction worker. Built my own house and it’s paid for. I grow my own and it’s free. I don’t buy and I don’t sell. I’ve worked every day of my adult life. Never laid off or without a job one single day. Were do I fit into your stereotypes? I don’t smoke before or during work. Just at night before bed to relax a little. I’ve growed and smoked my own for over 20 years.
December 20, 2017 @ 6:39 pm
Conservatives, republicans, blue collar workers, construction workers, home owners…now you’re in the stereotype.
December 20, 2017 @ 6:15 pm
Atheists, public sector union members, people who own more than one kayak, Doug Benson, people who believe in evolution, people with Che Guevara posters on their walls, Gregory Peck, white people who voted for Obama, black people who voted for Obama, Pacific Islanders who voted for Obama, people who think surfing is cool, people who think animals have rights, Unitarians, people who own books by Michel Foucault, people who wear tye-dye when its not Halloween, overweight third-wave feminists, people who think that diversity is our greatest strength, Oberlin graduates, people who think needle exchanges are a good idea, antifa, people who wear CASH t-shirts, people with those fucking gauges in their ears, Juggalos, people who donate money to The United Way, Furries, people who own a paddleboard, progressives, John Kerry,
December 20, 2017 @ 6:41 pm
Ait. If this shits ok all bets are off. Stay the fuck away from Gregory Peck.
December 20, 2017 @ 10:01 pm
It’s definitely not for RD because he’s wound up waaaaaay too tight.
December 20, 2017 @ 4:39 pm
Weed oil, cdb, is legal in all 50 states. Unless he had the kind containing thc, the oil is a non issue.
December 20, 2017 @ 7:44 pm
Of all the mainstream country acts, this guy is the most tolerable to me (and the only one I follow on social media). Although I’m not a fan of his songs released to radio, he plays the Opry A LOT and usually covers old song very well – Green Green Grass of Home (LOL!), Don’t Close Your Eyes (check him out youtube). I am hoping he matures into a more palatable artist.
December 20, 2017 @ 7:48 pm
His last name is Roach? Lmao that’s perfect.
December 20, 2017 @ 7:56 pm
Yes, the video of him being arrested is called a Roach clip.
December 21, 2017 @ 6:21 am
My wife’s response to hearing this on a country station: “Who’s Michael Ray?”
My response: “I Don’t Know.”
After seeing the singles he released, I still don’t know who he is.
December 21, 2017 @ 12:24 pm
The real crime is being in the McDonald’s drive thru.
December 21, 2017 @ 10:43 pm
Ohhh Clyde in your honor I went to watch “Country night” at the local casino bar tonight. With a local cover band called “Smokin Guns” that hasn’t learned a current song in years (something you all would applaud I’m sure except they suck!) and afterword…………….. you guessed it. It was the Mickey D’s drive thru for 2 cheeseburgers and a LARGE fries!!! Woo Hoo!!! Tasted fuckin great too!! No crime here except for the band I saw that couldn’t draw 20 people.
December 21, 2017 @ 9:28 pm
I don’t know. Who cares? Never even heard of him but pretty sure williams/jones/haggard/nelson/ paycheck/coe have done much worse.
December 22, 2017 @ 11:50 pm
He has a decent voice. But good Lord, I never will forget the horror of hearing Real Men Love Jesus. Horrid song.
December 24, 2017 @ 7:22 pm
Well, how Ironic…I actually thought less of him when I heard the song…guess he didn’t want to disappoint!
December 29, 2017 @ 8:14 am
bloodshot eyes don’t only indicate someone being drunk. Ever heard of being tired? Ok, he may have been over the limit but do you report on every single person in the US being over the limit? No, only ones you want to tear down. Weed oil? Maybe the terminology is cannabis oil or medicinal cannabis oil. Was it his? Was he/had he used it? What are the components of the oil? Maybe do your research before trying to ruin someone’s career just because you’re a so called journo.
Pathetic journalism.