Singer arrested after serenading driver’s sobriety test on US 74, NC sheriff says

A pre-dawn traffic stop took a surprising turn when a passenger in the car brought out a guitar and performed during the driver’s sobriety test, according to investigators in North Carolina.

The musician ended up under arrest, but not for interfering with an officer, the Union County Sheriff’s Office said in a March 17 news release.

“After the tests were completed, deputies conducted a search of the vehicle, which included the guitar,” the sheriff’s office said. “Inside the guitar was a sandwich bag containing a white powdery substance that clearly was not intended for lunch.”

The unusual traffic stop happened Monday on U.S. 74 near Morgan Mill Road in Monroe, when deputies spotted a westbound vehicle traveling without headlights, officials said.

“Deputies observed multiple open containers of alcohol inside the vehicle and detected the odor of alcohol coming from (the driver’s) breath. Due to these observations, (the driver) was asked to exit the vehicle and perform a series of standardized field sobriety tests,” the sheriff’s office said.

“While conducting the sobriety tests, another male passenger inside the vehicle ... decided to provide what can best be described as live roadside entertainment using his guitar and singing voice.”

Investigators did not report what compelled a deputy to look inside the guitar, but it led to the musician being charged with possession of cocaine, officials said.

The 44-year-old driver, who lives in Monroe, was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, failure to burn headlamps, and no operators license, officials said.

“What began as a traffic stop for driving without headlights ultimately turned into what we believe to be all of the parts that would make a country music hit,” the sheriff’s office said in its release.

Monroe is about a 30-mile drive southeast from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published March 18, 2026 at 6:05 AM.