An ambitious country singer who brazenly touted his star-studded jaunt to the prestigious 2024 CMA Awards might soon encounter the harsh reality of iron bars behind him, as prosecutors sharp-eyed his Nashville visit for breaching his bail restrictions. On Tuesday, November 26, an Alabama judge swiftly issued an arrest warrant for Austin Tanner, just mere days after he journeyed from his Alabama abode to Nashville with his wife, Skyla, to partake in the glittering CMAs affair—neglecting to secure the court's consent beforehand, as per documents acquired by PEOPLE.
Tanner's ordeal, already clouded by fraud and theft allegations that landed him under indictment earlier this year, unravelled on November 21, when heposted photos on social media depicting him and his wife gracefully posing on the red carpet adjacent to Bridgestone Arena, the eve before the gala. Insiders informed PEOPLE that Tanner was merely an uninvited guest to the actual awards ceremony.
“First CMA Awards—Last night was a fairytale come alive as we trotted down the red carpet at the CMA Awards. This very moment epitomized a lifelong dream achieved!” he jubilantly captioned his post.
The following November 25, the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion, requesting a judge to rescind Tanner’s bail, underscoring that his state-boundaries exit sans court's nod contravened his bail terms, as stipulated in the motion procured by PEOPLE. The motion received the green light the next day, resulting in an arrest warrant against him.
The 38-year-old Tanner was indicted by a grand jury in April on two counts of first-degree insurance fraud, theft of property, and attempted theft, records fetched by PEOPLE revealed. Released on a $20,000 bail, he was to appear in a deposition hearing on the morning of November 21, albeit the hearing was “suddenly rescheduled” on the very morning of the CMA Awards, as noted by Lagniappe Daily.
Assistant District Attorney Clay Rossi included snapshots of Tanner’s CMAs social media forays in his motion, emphasizing that the singer was fully cognizant of his bail conditions, as evidenced by his prior approved travel to Florida for business in June. “Since the defendant was thoroughly versed with the travel constraints of his bail and blatantly disregarded them publicly, the state seeks to withdraw his bail,” Rossi contended.
Tanner’s attorney, Frederick Helmsing, who did not promptly respond to PEOPLE’s solicitation for a remark, averred that the November 21 hearing was rescheduled “owing to the intricacies of the case, disputes over legal matters, and ongoing investigations,” asserting his unawareness of Tanner’s interstate voyage.
The budding star had released a single titled “All We Need” in March, and his website boasts him as standing “on the brink of country music fame.” Rossi’s motion will undergo scrutiny in a hearing scheduled for December 4.
