Zac Brown, lead singer of the popular country music band Zac Brown Band, admitted Friday he was at a Florida hotel room when police raided it for drugs last week.
The singer made the admission on his Facebook page at about 3:45 p.m., hours after multiple websites reported that he was part of a group of partiers at a swanky Palm Beach hotel where two people were arrested on cocaine charges.
While Brown referred only to a "Miami-area hotel" in the apology, what is known is that Palm Beach Police made three arrests at the five-star Four Seasons hotel on the island at 5:30 a.m. Friday.
Arrested were Noel Perez Delgado, 33, of Miami, who was charged with felony of possession of cocaine with intent to sell, Katia Hernandez, 24, of Miami, and Chanel Martinez-Lugo, 24, of Hialeah, both of whom were charged with felony counts of possession of cocaine.
According to the report, police responded to a call from a hotel worker about a suspicious car parked in the south parking lot. They found Delgado behind the wheel of a black Mercedes. Delgado told police he dropped two women at the hotel, one being Hernandez, and was waiting for them to return. He gave police permission to search the car, where police found 35 Ziplock baggies containing a white powder, a small bag of coke inside a brown Gucci sun glass case and a small baggie of coke inside a black Michael Kors handbag on the passenger seat in the car, the report said.
Police found Hernandez and Martinez-Lugo in a room at the hotel, along with seven other people. Hotel security told police they received noise complaints from that room.
That’s when the story got stranger, as gossip sites, such as TMZ and Radaronline, began reporting late Thursday that Brown was not only part of the hotel room group, but that arriving Palm Beach police officers declined to name him in the report. Some sites said the cops were fans of the band.
While no mention is made of Brown in the Palm Beach Police arrest report, Brown’s name appears at the bottom of a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) report, which documents the radio transmissions of the officers on a particular call.
Palm Beach Police Capt. Curtis Krauel said that it’s not a police report. The fact that Brown’s name was at the bottom of the CAD report means “an officer encountered Brown during that call” and ran his name, Krauel said.
“We have no indication that Zac Brown was involved in any criminal investigation and that’s why he wasn’t in the police report,” Krauel said.
A few sites reported that Brown was in town to attend a charity auction at the Barrett-Jackson Car Auction, which was April 8 through April 10 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. According to the Barrett-Jackson website, the Zach Brown Band performed at the company's 45th anniversary in Scottsdale, Arizona, in January.
Brown’s apology went on to say:
“My dad always said nothing good ever happens when you stay out late. It’s a lesson I learned the hard way last week, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I attended a private gathering at a Miami-area hotel and had only been there for a short time when police officers arrived and arrested two people in the room who had just showed up a few minutes before. I did not know these people and had no idea that there were drugs in their possession. I cooperated fully with the authorities and am not part of any ongoing police investigation. Everyone is responsible for their actions, and I regret using poor judgment and putting myself in that position.
"I am focused on continuing to make great music for my fans, and on representing my family and community well with our philanthropic work.
"And next time I’ll make sure to remember what my dad taught me.”
Delgado, Hernandez and Martinez-Lugo were booked into the Palm Beach County Jail. Delgado was released on $7,500 bond. Hernandez and Martinez-Lugo each were released on $4,500 bond.
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