Ex-Phish Frontman Takes Plea Deal Bait

by Sarah Hall Fri Apr 13, 10:03 AM ET

Los Angeles (E! Online) -

Trey Anastasio has given up trying to get off the hook.

The former Phish frontman pleaded guilty Friday to a felony drug charge stemming from a Dec. 15 traffic arrest in Whitehall, New York, and was ordered into a drug court program in lieu of jail time.

Anastasio had previously pleaded not guilty to a seven-count indictment that included three felonies and carried a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.

After striking a plea deal with prosecutors, he admitted to attempted possession of a controlled substance and copped to illegally possessing Vicodin, Percocet, heroin and Xanax at the time he was stopped.

Under the terms of the agreement, lesser charges of driving while intoxicated by drugs, misdemeanor drug possession and driving without a license were dropped.

Next week, he will begin the strictly regimented program that requires him to spend the next 12 months making weekly court appearances and to submit to random drug and alcohol testing.

Anastasio, 42, currently lives in New York City with his wife and two children, but will move upstate for at least the first three months of the program, according to his attorney, Steve Coffey.

If he successfully completes the program, he will be sentenced to five years probation; if not, he could go to prison for up to three years.

Coffey told reporters that he did not think the jam rocker would have trouble complying with the program's requirements. He said the singer spent a month in a live-in treatment facility after his arrest and has been sober ever since.

"He's committed to this," Coffey said. "I'm as confident as anyone can be."

Anastasio did not speak to reporters as he left the courthouse Friday, aside from mumbling "Sorry," as he climbed into a black van and was driven away.

The singer's troubles began at around 3:30 a.m. on Dec. 15, when he was observed driving erratically by police as he cut through Whitehall Village on his way to his home in Richmond, Vermont.

He failed a sobriety test and a subsequent search of his car turned up assorted contraband.

Immediately following his arrest, he issued a statement expressing remorse for his actions.

"I feel terrible about what happened last night, and I am deeply sorry for any embarrassment I have caused my friends, family and fans," he said at the time.

Since Phish disbanded in 2004, Anastasio has been performing and recording as a solo artist, a career that will have to be put on hold indefinitely while he completes drug court.

"He's accepted that," Coffey told reporters.