Puddle Of Mudd frontman Wes Scantlin has avoided prison in a domestic battery and drug possession case, instead being placed in a one-year diversion programme.
The Missouri rocker must also enter rehab following his arrest in March 2025. At the time, police were called to an apartment in California where he allegedly got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend. While they were at the apartment, the officers also discovered drugs.
A year later, a judge has accepted a plea deal that sees Scantlin take part in a diversion programme and enter rehab instead of prison. Diversion programs can include education, victim restitution and community service.
Per TMZ, he is expected back in court for a progress report on May 29.
Last July, meanwhile, Scantlin said he wanted to move past his legal troubles and claimed that he “really seriously don’t really do that much wrong things.”
He added: “I’ve made some mistakes, but at certain points I could breathe in the wrong direction and get cuffed and slammed in a dungeon. Shoot, man. It’s weird. My whole thing, my whole motto is turn around and run for your life as fast as you possibly can, man.”
As well as his March 2025 arrest, he was arrested in August 2024 following a standoff with Burbank police at a traffic stop and charged with resisting arrest and held on an outstanding warrant related to an earlier airport incident.
In 2017, he was arrested after allegedly attempting to board a plane with a gun.
Days before his 2025 arrest, he was widely criticised following a Puddle Of Mudd performance at Daytona Bike Week. Witnesses reported stumbling and incoherent speech at the event, a free benefit concert for children’s cancer research. He blamed the performance on being “roofied” by former bandmate Sean Sammon.
The band’s last album, ‘Kiss The Machine’, came out in May last year. They released the track ‘Free’ as a single and shared its music video earlier this week.
“Everybody goes through life with ups and downs, and you can find your way,” Scantlin said of the track. “Along the way, people come around and they’re not your people. Accept the people who are trying to help you.”
He also shared on a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk that he’s working on an autobiography with his brother.
If you are experiencing domestic violence you can contact the National Domestic Abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247.