Sly Stone Spends Second Half of His Two-Night Stand in Jail

Singer Sly Stone was arrested for allegedly owing $2,500 in back child support Thursday night, minutes before he was scheduled to take the stage for the second show of a planned two-night stand at the Las Palmas Theater.

District attorney investigators took Stone, whose real name is Sylvester Stewart, to Los Angeles County Jail for booking, but medical personnel there would not allow Stone to be booked. Investigators then took Stone to the jail’s medical ward at County-USC Medical Center. Attending doctors told investigators that Stone was “under the influence,” according to Andy Reynolds, a spokesman for the District Attorney’s Office. Arraignment is scheduled for Monday in Division 81 of Los Angeles Municipal Court.

District attorney investigators picked up Stone as part of an ongoing campaign to find child-support violators, the spokesman said.

A white sedan dropped Stone off at the curb in front of the theater on Las Palmas Avenue, just south of Hollywood Boulevard. One fan yelled: “Hey, Sly,” said eyewitnesses, and the investigators rushed to Stone and took him into custody inside the front doors of the theater. Stone spent Thursday night in jail after failing to post $11,000 bail. His representatives were unavailable for comment.

Stone’s first concert at the Las Palmas on Wednesday night had been haphazard, under-rehearsed and sparsely attended; by show time Thursday, his original two-show schedule had been changed to a single performance.

After Stone’s arrest, promoter Nick Edenetti told the crowd that he was arranging to have Stone bailed out of jail, and that the show would go on. After hours of delays and sets by Stone’s backing band and keyboardist Billy Preston, Edenetti acknowledged that the headliner wasn’t returning that night.

Ticket-holders were not given refunds; theater representatives said the date would be rescheduled and that refunds would be considered if ticket-holders were unable to attend on the new date.

But for many of the fans who spent $24 a ticket and waited for Sly for hours, that was small consolation.