Joe Seiders, the drummer of New Pornographers, has been arrested for possession of child pornography on April 9. He was arrested by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (California) and remains in jail with his bail set at $1 million.
According to the news release and online records, on April 7, police officers were alerted to “a suspicious circumstance” at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Palm Desert, California. An 11-year-old boy told the officers that “an unknown male adult recorded him on a cell phone while he was using the restroom at the location.” On April 9, police were called to the same Chick-Fil-A, where an employee said that “a male was entering and exiting the restroom with juvenile males at the business.” That man was identified as Seiders who was then arrested. Following Seiders’ arrest, officials searched his residence, vehicle, and cell phone and found evidence implicating him in the two Chick-fil-A incidents and additional crimes, according to the news release.
The band has fired Seiders and issued a statement: "“Everyone in the band is absolutely shocked, horrified, and devastated by the news of the charges against Joe Seiders—and we have immediately severed all ties with him. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions.”