Gov. Hutchinson’s son arrested in Alabama on drug possession charges

William Asa Hutchinson III, son of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, was arrested on Saturday (May 21) in Alabama for unlawful possession of a controlled substance, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s office.

A summary from the sheriff’s office said Hutchinson was arrested while he attempted to enter the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Hutchinson was stopped for concealing “an unknown item in his rear waistband” and was “confronted and asked about any contraband on his person,” the summary reads. “Hutchinson voluntarily removed a flask containing an unknown alcohol from his waistband. Officers then conducted a search of Hutchinson and located a baggie containing 2 capsules of Molly (MDMA) and 4 ecstasy (MDMA) tablets.”

Hutchinson was placed under arrest for possession of a controlled substance and taken to an onsite detention area. Later, he was transported to the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Correction Center in Bay Minette, Ala. Hutchinson was released on May 23 after posting a $5,000 bond.

Gov. Hutchinson commented on the news at a press conference on Monday following the end of a special session on highways.

“Well, those are the days that it’s tough to be a parent and it’s tough to be a son. And I think every parent and every son would identify and understand that problem. And my son’s an adult and he will have to address this just like he has had to address other things in the past,” he said.

Hutchinson III, an attorney, was arrested in January in Fayetteville for DWI, careless driving and refusal to submit to a sobriety test. A 1997 graduate of the University of Arkansas, he graduated in 2000 from the University of Arkansas School of Law. He was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 2001 and the Missouri bar in 2007.

Gov. Hutchinson is a former U.S. Attorney, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security.