Royal Trux leader Neil Michael Hagerty has charges dropped
It has been reported that frontman Neil Michael Hagerty of influential rock duo Royal Trux has had his criminal charges dropped.
On April 14th, 2023, the American singer-songwriter was arrested in Denver, Colorado, after allegedly assaulting three police officers who answered a welfare call. Later in the month, he was charged with three felonies, one second-degree assault against an officer, and two misdemeanour counts of resisting related to the incident.
At the time, local reports stated that the district attorney’s office claimed that Hagerty had ripped a badge from an officer’s uniform and used the pin on the badge to cut them in the neck while also attempting to pull their gun from its holster.
Now, the criminal charges against the Royal Trux frontman have been dropped nearly a year on from the ordeal, according to The Denver Post. His attorney, David Beller, said in a statement released on March 18th that he was experiencing a mental health issue when the incident occurred.
“After a year of intense mental health treatment, Neil is finally properly diagnosed, stable and making music,” Beller explained. “He thanks the officer, judge, district attorney, family and fans for their support of him and applauds Denver for launching new programs that allow those with mental health issues to have their cases dismissed without conditions once the person is stable and maintains their care.”
Following Hagerty’s 2023 arrest, a GoFundMe was set up to cover his legal defence, as well as his mental health treatment. In response, many fans and peers from the music industry supported the cause.
The statement on the GoFundMe read: “Neil Hagerty, founding member of the groundbreaking band Royal Trux, was arrested after an unfortunate encounter with Denver Police on April 14th, following a welfare check. It is important to note that Neil has been struggling with mental health issues for a long time and this concerning incident highlights the urgent need for Mr. Hagerty to receive proper mental health treatment”.
Royal Trux is a cult alternative rock band formed in 1987 by Hagerty and his girlfriend, Jennifer Herrema. Their first run lasted until 2001, when they released numerous albums, including their 1988 self-titled debut – one of the most lauded of the era – and 1998’s Accelerator. During their original stint, the duo earned many notable disciples, such as Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus, The Kills, Bobby Gillespie, and Thurston Moore.
The band reconvened in 2015 for four years, with their most recent album being 2019’s White Stuff, the first in 19 years. Despite taking nearly two decades to arrive, it was acclaimed across the board.
However, in March of that year, Hagerty announced he was leaving the band when speaking to The Guardian. While Herrema maintained he had form for this, the following month, on April 30th, the tour for the album was cancelled after previously being rescheduled due to Herrema’s unspecified legal issues. Royal Trux have not been active since.
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