Jonah Hill was arrested early Friday morning following an incident involving an undercover police officer in New Orleans, LA. Hill, the twice-Oscar-nominated actor, has been in New Orleans for the last week doing character research for his upcoming role as Jerry Garcia in his production company’s new Martin Scorsese-directed Grateful Dead biopic, currently in development for Apple.
According to a report from the New Orleans Police Department, “At 3:17 a.m. CT on Friday morning, after receiving a tip about a bearded man acting erratically, a plainclothes narcotics officer approached the suspect at the corner of Bourbon Street and Iberville Street. Once engaged in conversation, the suspect told the officer, using street slang, ‘For 400 dollars, I got Jerry Garcia in a bag, man,’ and revealed a small pouch. The officer arrested the suspect on charges of solicitation and possession with intent to distribute.”
Jack Straw, the Kenner, LA-based lawyer set to represent Hill when the case goes to trial, issued a statement on Friday morning proclaiming his client’s innocence. “Simply put, Jonah Hill was set up. Set up like… I don’t know. Something that people set up. He wasn’t trying to sell anything. That Jerry-in-a-bag is one of his prized possessions and he was simply showing it off to a new friend. These charges are absurd and we intend to prove that in court.”
“It gets to wearing thin,” an emotional Straw continued. “They just won’t let him be.”
Strong Baby Productions, the company Jonah Hill launched in 2020, has yet to comment on how the bust might affect the forthcoming biopic—though the incident does bear uncanny resemblance to a 1970 bust involving the Grateful Dead.
On January 31st, 1970, Garcia and several other members of the Grateful Dead were arrested in New Orleans when their hotel was raided and the entire band was arrested on drug charges. The experience went on to influence the lyrics of “Truckin’“, one of the Dead’s most iconic songs.
[Photo: Jerry Garcia Mugshot from Grateful Dead’s 1970 New Orleans Arrest]
Just keep truckin’ on, Jonah. We’re rooting for you.
P.S. Thanks for being a good sport, Jonah! We love you.
View this post on Instagram