AC/DC Drummer Phil Rudd Pleads Not Guilty To Murder Threats, Drug Charges

The odd courtroom saga continues for former AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd, who recently pleaded not guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession.

From The New Zealand Herald (via Rolling Stone): A lawyer for AC/DC's Phil Rudd pleaded not guilty on behalf of his client to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession Monday at New Zealand's Tauranga District Court. The charges stem Rudd's Nov. 6 arrest, when the drummer's New Zealand home was raided and Rudd was reportedly found to be in possession of methamphetamine and cannabis. A case review for Rudd was scheduled for February 10th.

Rudd was originally charged with a murder-for-hire plot, but those charges were dropped soon after his arrest.

Despite the prosecutor's insistence that the threat victim and witnesses' identities be kept private, the judge announced all the information will be public in the coming week, according to Stuff.co.nz.

According to his bandmates, Rudd had been acting erratically before the arrest. He apparently wasn't reliable when they were doing video and photo shoots, and the group was unsure if he would even show up, as noted by Radio.com.

"Phil created his own situation...It's a hard thing to say about the guy," Angus Young said. "He's a great drummer, and he's done a lot of stuff for us. But he seems to have let himself go. He's not the Phil we've known from the past."

Drugs were likely involved, with Young saying, "When you get into that land, it's very hard. I don't know the exact situation. ... I can only say, from our perspective, that the guy needs to sort himself out."

The Australian group is moving on without Rudd and Malcolm Young, who was diagnosed with dementia this year.

"God knows what went through his mind in some nights when he wasn't that well," Brian Johnson said of Young. "He'd go onstage and ... 'Oh s---!' Can you imagine knowing you're not sure about [what's happening]? Y'know where you are, put it that way, but your mind's playing tricks. He was brilliant. He did brilliant."

Tags

AC/DC, Phil Rudd