Laith Al-Saadi, who came in 4th place on Season 10 of The Voice, was arrested after troopers from the Michigan State Police stopped his car earlier this month. The Ann Arbor based musician is facing three counts of narcotics possession.
Al-Saadi was arrested after troopers spotted him driving with an expired licence plate.
The trooper who approached his car could smell a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, reports the Gaylord Herald Times.
After the troopers asked him to step out of the car, they found a backpack in the back seat that contained 12 grams of marijuana, as well as several other drugs including hydrocodone, morphine sulphate and fentanyl. He was taken to the Otsego County Jail. A female passenger was also arrested for narcotics possession.
Al-Saadi faces three counts of narcotics possession equalling 25 grams or more, according to the Otsego County Courts website. That means, under Michigan law, he could receive a penalty of up to four years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
The arrest hasn’t affected Al-Saadi’s busy tour schedule. He performed in Bay City and Lexington the following weekend.
The singer has a notice of probable cause conference scheduled for March 15 and a preliminary examination scheduled for March 22 at the 87-A District Court.
His lawyer, Michael Komorn, released a statement, stating that the the drugs were for treating legitimate medical problems.
“Laith has suffered from chronic pain for many years. He is currently under a physician’s care for treatment of his debilitating severe and chronic pain. We appreciate the outpouring of concern from his fans and want to ensure the public that this is a medical issue that Laith is addressing with his physicians. We hope the public respects his privacy and his family’s privacy in this regard, any other issues we will address in court.”
In case you need a refresher, here’s Laith Al-Saadi performing on The Voice in the spring of 2016. Season 10 was the cycle Alisan Porter won on Team Christina. Al-Saadi was a member of Team Adam Levine.
Here’s his Blind Audition, The Letter by The Box Tops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGjRyz5q5xs
