Joe Seiders, the drummer of indie rock band New Pornographers, was arrested for child pornography earlier this month.
Seiders, 44, was charged with child porn possession and accused of recording minors in a restaurant restroom in southern California on Wednesday, April 9.
He was arrested in Palm Desert after local authorities responded to two separate, concerning calls about an inappropriate interaction and suspicious activity in the bathroom of a Chick-fil-A restaurant.
The first incident reported occurred just before 4 p.m. on Monday, April 7 when an 11-year-old told deputies that a man recorded him on a cell phone while he was using the restroom, according to a press release from the Riverside Sheriff’s Office.
Two days later, authorities received a call from an employee who said there was a man entering and exiting the restroom with minors.
After serving search warrants, the Sheriff’s Office linked Seiders to both incidents alongside additional crimes, including child pornography.
Joe Seiders, the drummer of indie rock band New Pornographers, was arrested for child pornography earlier this month; pictured in July 2015
Seiders, 44, was charged with child porn possession and accused of recording minors in a restaurant restroom in southern California on Wednesday, April 9
‘Evidence was located implicating him in the two reported incidents, along with additional crimes, including possessing child pornography,’ the news release read.
Seiders was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio and is scheduled to return to court for a felony settlement conference on Tuesday.
He’s charged with possession of child pornography, annoying/molesting a child, invasion of privacy and attempted invasion of privacy.
Seiders is being held on a $1 million bail and is due in court on April 22, according to The Guardian.
The investigation remains ongoing as the Sheriff’s office believes there ‘may be additional victims.’
Following his arrest making headlines, his bandmates released a joint statement and said they have cut ties with 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 wrote in a joint Instagram post shared on Thursday.
‘Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by his actions.’
He was arrested in Palm Desert after local authorities responded to two separate, concerning calls about an inappropriate interaction and suspicious activity in the bathroom of a Chick-fil-A restaurant
He’s charged with possession of child pornography, annoying/molesting a child, invasion of privacy and attempted invasion of privacy
Following his arrest making headlines, his bandmates released a joint statement and said they have cut ties with the drummer
Seiders has been a part of the Canadian indie rock band since 2014.
The group was first formed in 1997, and the current members are Neko Case, Carl Newman, John Collins, Todd Fancey and Kathryn Calder.
Their former members include Destroyer frontman Dan Bejar and Grammy nominee Kurt Dahle.
New Pornographers performed at Coachella in 2007 and 2011.
When their longtime drummer Dahle left in 2014, he was replaced by Seiders.
Seiders toured with the band and performed on their three most recent studio albums.
