Grammy Award-winning rock band Alabama Shakes’ drummer Steven Willian Johnson has been booked for child abuse.
The 35-year-old drummer was arrested on Wednesday after being indicted on charges of willful torture, willful abuse and cruelly beating or otherwise willfully maltreating a child under the age of 18, news outlets reported.
He was taken to the Limestone County Jail and the bond was set at $21,500. A Grand Jury indicted him on his arraignment is scheduled for April 7, 2021. He received a suspended sentence of a year in jail, with 24 months on probation.
Johnson pleaded guilty in March 2020 to violating a domestic violence protection order in Limestone County.
Back in 2019, Johnson was arrested for violating a protection from abuse order, which he pled guilty to in March 2020. The protection order was issued after Johnson’s ex-wife accused him of threatening and harassing her. She also accused Johnson of choking, injuring and stalking her, according to AL.com.
The band went on hiatus in 2018 as lead vocalist Brittany Howard went on to pursue a solo career. Her debut album ‘Jaime’ was released in 2019.
About Steven William Johnson:
Born on April 19, 1985, Johnson grew to fame after he and his friends started the group, ‘Alabama Shakers’. Johnson had played a lot of punk music in local bands after his family relocated from Ohio to Athens in 2002 when his father Dave Johnson accepted a job at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant.
‘Alabama Shakes’ was formed in Athens, Limestone County, in 2009. The band’s style is an innovative and experimental blend of rock music, rhythm and blues, soul, and the Muscle Shoals sound. The members of ‘Alabama Shakes’ all hail from the Athens area. They are lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard, guitarist Heath Fogg, bassist Zac Cockrell, and drummer Steve Johnson. Alabama Shakes has grown to become a globally touring phenomenon widely praised in the international music press.
