When Will Todd Harrell Get out of Prison?
Do you remember Todd Harrell, the one-time bassist for 3 Doors Down, one of the most popular rock groups of this generation? He was convicted in 2018 of a weapons violation that was complicated by the fact that he was considered a felon at the time. As a result, he is currently serving 10 years in a Mississippi State Prison.
The Backstory
At the time that Harrell was convicted, he was also serving probation for an automobile accident that he caused back in 2013 which resulted in the death of another individual. He was arrested for being at fault in the accident and later on, it was found that he had prescription drugs in his system. It was also discovered that the prescription medications were not circulating through his bloodstream at a therapeutic level, meaning that he was abusing the medication. He served a short amount of time in a Tennessee jail for the accident and then was sentenced to six years worth of probation in which he was not allowed to be anywhere near firearms, much less own one. In 2018, he and his wife got into an argument that became so severe, she ended up calling the police. When police arrived, they found drugs and guns all over the house. As a result, he was arrested and taken into custody. Later, he was booked by a judge in the state of Mississippi and sentenced to 10 years, a sentence that he is currently serving. His story is like so many musicians who have been sent to prison.
The Maximum Sentence
Since this was the second time that he had been convicted of something serious in a fairly short amount of time, the judge decided that leniency was not going to be an option. As a result, he sentenced him to the maximum possible sentence, which was 10 years. Many people believe that this is largely because he was shown a certain degree of leniency during his last run-in with the law and clearly didn’t come away from that experience having learned anything of value. As a result, it was decided that he would need to serve a more lengthy jail sentence this time around. In addition to sentencing him to 10 years, the judge also ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine and ordered him to undergo additional mental health assessments that he will also have to pay for. Of course, he will also be responsible for all court costs associated with his case. As far as many individuals are concerned, he probably would have received even more jail time if it would have been possible to have sentenced him to any more time. However, the particular crime that he was arrested for this time around didn’t allow for a stiffer penalty.
Deeper Issues
Apparently, the issues that he was facing had been going on for quite some time, even before the first arrest in Tennessee. Prior to those issues, other band members from 3 Doors Down had unanimously decided to kick him out of the band. That doesn’t mean that the other band members didn’t care about him. In fact, they have gone on record several times over stating that they consider him a brother. However, his issues with substance abuse and other problems had become so severe that it was becoming detrimental to their ability to create music. Even worse, it was causing problems when they were touring. As a result, they felt like they had no other recourse but to kick him out of the band. It seems like once that happened, things started to spiral out of control for him, resulting in first one arrest, and then another.
Sticking By His Side
Since his second arrest, other members of the alternative rock band 3 Doors Down have spoken out about their feelings toward him, saying that they will stand by him until the end of time. Despite the fact that he is no longer part of the band, they say that he is very much part of who they are and that he is always present in their hearts. In fact, they have all expressed a certain degree of remorse at the fact that he is struggling with so many demons that he doesn’t seem to be able to gain the upper hand, at least not at this time. The truth is, the majority of the band members are hoping that his time in prison will help him get off of drugs, clear his head, and allow him to come out of that experience a changed man. In the meantime, they are sticking by his side, making it clear that everyone has issues they have to face and everyone makes mistakes. They don’t want their fans to get the idea that anyone should simply be thrown away because of those mistakes they made as a rock star. As far as they’re concerned, there is still a good person deep down inside of Harrell and someone who is very much worth fighting for.
This serves as a stark reminder that fame and fortune don’t always mean that everyone has their life together. As a matter of fact, it can often exacerbate problems that are already there, bubbling just beneath the surface. In any case, Harrell is no different than a lot of other people out there. He is struggling with things that have gotten far out of his control and in some instances, those problems have become bigger than he is himself. Hopefully, he will indeed find the help that he needs. For now, the story serves to help remind individuals that this kind of thing can happen to anybody. In fact, there is hope that the story will ultimately help to inspire someone else to get the help they need as opposed to allowing themselves to go down the same road that Harrell has gone down. As things stand now, he will get out of prison in 2028. Perhaps by that time, things will have changed for the better for him.
He has been out for a while somehow. I just Saw him at a wedding over the weekend with his family