New Pornographers drummer Joe Seiders has been arrested on child pornography charges.
The rocker, 44, was taken into custody on April 9 after a restaurant employee called police about a man “entering and exiting the restroom with juvenile males,” per a press release by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office.
Seiders was taken into custody when police arrived at the scene and search warrants were obtained for his residence, vehicle and phone.
Two days earlier, police were called to the same Palm Desert eatery after a young boy reported an inappropriate interaction with an older male.
The 11-year-old boy told deputies that a man “had recorded him on a cell phone while he was using the restroom at the location.”
Police concluded that both suspicious circumstances involved the same man: Seiders.
After executing their search warrants, law enforcement officers found more evidence “implicating [Seiders] in the two reported incidents, along with additional crimes, including possessing child pornography.”
He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio for possession of child pornography, annoying/molesting a child, invasion of privacy and attempted invasion of privacy.
The investigation is ongoing as the Sheriff’s office believes “there may be additional victims.”
According to the Guardian, the musician is being held on a $1 million bail. He is due in court on April 22.
Shortly after news of his arrest made headlines, his bandmates released a joint statement condemning Seiders and distancing themselves from the drummer.
“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,” they shared via Instagram on Thursday.
“Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions.”
Seiders has been part of the Canadian rock band, which was first formed in 1997, since 2014. Aside from Seiders, the band includes vocalists Neko Case and Carl Newman, John Collins, Todd Fancey and Kathryn Calder.
The group dropped their latest single, “Ballad of the Last Payphone,” less than one week before Seider’s arrest.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.
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