Fiona Apple busted at Sierra Blanca checkpoint

By JOHN DANIEL GARCIA

SIERRA BLANCA – Singer Fiona Apple has become the latest well-known musician to be arrested at the Sierra Blanca checkpoint for drug possession. Inspection officers at the checkpoint uncovered hashish and a small amount of marijuana on her tour bus as she was making her way to Austin to perform at the Moody Theater for the Austin City Limits series in support of her latest album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do. She joins Willie Nelson and Snoop Lion (formerly Snoop Dogg), who have also spent time at the Hudspeth County jail after similar busts. Hudspeth County Sheriff Arvin West and County Attorney Kit Bramblett were unavailable for comment.

Fiona Apple, center, performs with Sara and Sean Watkins in Marfa last year. (photo by ALBERTO HALPERN)

Fiona Apple rose to prominence with her 1997 debut album Tical, which was certified platinum three times. The album contained the single Criminal that earned her a Grammy award. The single spawned a video directed by Mark Romanek that stirred much controversy and torqued-up a generation.

Apple performed in Marfa last year with Sara and Sean Watkins and Michael Nesmith of The Monkees. It’s unclear whether she will be released in time to make it to Austin for the show and how the arrest will affect the rest of her tour.