Photo: Instagram
The singer has been arrested before.
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Aug 28, 2019
Howie Day is best known for his 2009 hit song "Collide" but he also has a reputation for violent behavior. The singer has been arrested a number of times for everything from yelling at a flight crew to abusing a fan. This past weekend, Day was spotted in a Manhattan hotel lobby arguing with a woman later identified as his ex-girlfriend. He got physical with her and put his hands around her throat before the police arrived to arrest him. This is the second time he's been arrested for assaulting a woman in the past year.
Who is Howie Day and why is he under arrest? Read on for all the details.
1. Assault in New York
On Friday afternoon, Day was in the lobby of a hotel in the Financial District of Manhattan according to TMZ. Witnesses say Day and the unnamed woman began arguing and the fight escalated quickly. Day was observed pushing the woman and even put his hands around her throat as if to strangle her. Once police arrived, they arrested him and the woman sought medical attention for the injuries she sustained. Police found a handful of Xanax in Day's pocket and he claimed he used them before performing. He also said that withdrawal from the anti-anxiety medications was affecting him and he was worried he might pass out.
2. Long musical career
Day, who is 38-years-old, has been in the music business since he was a kid. He's been playing guitar since he was 13-years-old and studied piano starting around the age of five. He started out performing in his parents' restaurant when he was a teen and was touring professionally by the 1990s. He financed and self-released his first album Australia in 2000. In 2002, he signed with Epic Records and they released his debut. In 2003, he dropped his second album Stop All the World Now, which included the song "Collide." The song sold more than 1.5 million downloads. Day hasn't had a major hit since them but continues to tour almost incessantly and he performs all over the world.
Day is currently on tour.
3. Early signs of trouble
People reports that Day was arrested in 2004 for allegedly locking a female fan in the bathroom of his tour bus. She had apparently refused his sexual advances. When another woman tried to call the police, Day allegedly grabbed her phone and smashed it. He paid a fine in that incident. According to USA Today, at the time Day said of destroying the phone, "That was probably wrong of me. But I felt violated."
4. Disturbance on a plane
In 2005, Day was arrested at Logan Airport in Boston after getting wasted on alcohol and sleeping pills. People notes that David Procopio, a spokesman for the Suffolk District Attorney’s office, said at the time, “He was verbally abusive to the flight crew and was kicking the backs of seats of passengers in front of him." He later pleaded not guilty to a charge of interfering with a flight crew. He got off with probation afterward.
Day was arrested last week.
5. History of domestic violence
In 2018, there was a surveillance video of Day getting violently angry while getting into a car with then-girlfriend Carrie Pencek. In the video, TMZ reports, you can see Day looking agitated and he started slamming his musical gear around while waiting for Pencek to come to pick him up at the Seattle airport. When Pencek pulled up and got out of the car to help with his luggage, he started screaming at her and pushed her. According to the report obtained by People, Pencek claimed the push caused physical pain to her. At the time, The Daily Mail quoted a source who said "Carrie flagged down a cop for help and told him Howie — who at that point bounced from the scene but left his car — behaves like this when he's intoxicated. She said he's been upset because his career's stalled and he was running out of cash."
6. Serious charges this time
Police don't look kindly on attempting to strangle a woman and Day was arrested after the incident in New York last week. Page Six reports that he was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, assault and criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was arraigned and eventually released on $500 bail.
The woman in the incident has not been identified yet but TMZ reports that, while she was an ex-girlfriend of Day's, it wasn't Carried Pencek, form the prior abuse incident. It's not clear when Day will be back in court.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.