Savatage Vocalist Jon Oliva Arrested for DUI + Possession of Controlled Substance

Savatage frontman Jon Oliva was arrested last week in Florida for driving under the influence and possession of a controlled substance.

The 62-year-old musician was reportedly booked for the incident at the Pasco County Jail in the early morning of Sept. 30 and eventually released in the early morning hours of Oct. 1.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol's arrest report, police and EMS were dispatched to the scene of a single vehicle crash on U.S. Hwy. 41 shortly before 1AM local time on Sept. 30.

In the report, a responding officer wrote, "When I arrived on scene the driver of the vehicle was out and away from his pickup truck being checked by EMS. I observed a pickup truck with severe damage to the front right of the vehicle. The passenger side door had been ripped off the collision with the tree that the vehicle had struck. Mr. Oliva was the driver of the vehicle. On scene Mr. Oliva fainted and hit the ground while EMS was checking on him. Due to this reason Mr. Oliva was flown off the scene and taken to [the hospital]."

The officer stated in their report that an inventory of the vehicle included two empty bottles of vodka and a small clear bag with an unknown white substance that was field tested to show a positive hit for cocaine. Witnesses also spoke to the officer about the incident and Oliva was later questioned at the hospital and advised that they were investigating that the musician was driving under the influence.

Oliva was placed under arrest just after noon on Sept. 13. A $10,000 bond was placed for a felony count of cocaine possession, while another $3,500 bond was placed for the misdemeanor DUI charge. In the state of Florida, possession of cocaine is a third-degree felony, punishable by a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.

The members of Savatage have reportedly worked on new music together over the past year. Earlier this year, Oliva told That Metal Interview during a chat that he alone had written enough material for three Savatage albums, but added that the band had nothing in place with a record company or confirmed plans as of yet to release new music.