Joe Don Rooney, the lead guitarist for country music group Rascal Flatts, was arrested Thursday on a DUI charge after the vehicle he was driving hit a line of trees outside Nashville, authorities said Saturday.
A Williamson County Sheriff's Office deputy responded to the scene in Franklin, Tennessee, shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday, sheriff's spokeswoman Sharon Puckett said by email.
She said a "driver crashed into tree line" and was subsequently arrested. Authorities identified the driver as Rooney, 45, of Nashville. The email did not specify if officials suspected he was under the influence of alcohol or something else.
It doesn't appear that the musician was injured. Rooney was booked into Williamson County Jail and released the same day after posting $2,500 bond, Puckett said.
Rascal Flatts' public relations representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The group founded in 1999 by Rooney, Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus announced last year that it was disbanding. But the pandemic prompted cancellation of a farewell tour last year that would have helped mark the end.
The trio has been nominated four times for Grammy Awards and has 12 No. 1 country hits.
