A well-known country music star arrested for drunk driving has lost his appeal to keep the police footage from being made public. The ruling for the request opens the door for the Texas Department of Public Safety. They are set to release the footage on Friday. In Texas, police recordings of the DUI/DWI arrest showed the singer nude and disoriented.
It has been a long and tedious legal battle all the way to the Supreme Court for Randy Travis and his family. Travis filed a federal lawsuit in September citing the footage is considered private under health privacy regulations. The judge did not rule in favor of the singer, but the attorney general agreed to redact portions of the footage. His wife, Mary Travis, also lost her request to sue on his behalf.
The Grammy winner and Hall of Fame singer was on top of the charts in the 1990s and is best known for his hit “Forever And Ever, Amen” and many others. The country music legend suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013 that has left him with serious health issues and limited speech. The lawsuit filed by the singer and his family claims that because of his failing health, he cannot discuss or defend his previous actions.
When someone in the public eye is arrested for DUI/DWI, the attention it attracts may be intensified because he or she is a famous entertainer. The police video would likely not have gained as much notoriety if he were not a celebrity. In Texas, an arrest for DUI/DWI is a serious charge and should not be taken lightly; however, intimate and embarrassing video footage may not need to be publicized.
Source: dfw.cbslocal.com, “Randy Travis Loses Legal Bid To Keep DUI Footage Private ?? CBS Dallas / Fort Worth“, Nov. 30, 2017
