Former ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Contestant Arrested On Drug Possession Charges

News regarding the December 2016 arrest of a popular RuPaul’s Drag Race alum has just gone public, according to a report from Project Q.

Season 2 contender Brian Christopher Pryor, (above left) who performs under the drag moniker Nicole Paige Brooks, was arrested with Atlanta club promoter William Corbett Harkins on December 12 on drug possession charges. According to the incident report, while driving down Barrett Parkway at around 2:30 a.m. that Monday, an officer from the Marietta police squad pulled over Pryor and Harkins after first noticing that their tag light was busted.

“When Officer J.A. Foster approached the car,” Project Q writer Matt Hennie explains, “the officer noticed an overwhelming odor of green marijuana emitting from inside of the vehicle.”

“At that point, Foster asked Pryor and Harkins to step out of the vehicle. Harkins refused to allow the officer to search him, while Pryor pulled a small plastic bag of marijuana from his jacket pocket, according to the incident report. Pryor then consented to being searched by the officer.”

During the search, the officer discovered what he relayed as a “trove” of both legal and illegal substances on Harkins’ person; including Xanax, Oxycodone and marijuana, as well as inside of the vehicle. Additionally, a large amount of money was also said to have been seized from Harkins, along with a small metal capsule that was attached to a key ring which contained some of the pills.

Harkins alleged that he had a legal prescription to possess both the Xanax and Oxycodone stored on his phone, but considering the manner in which they were found, Officer Foster believed otherwise.

Furthermore, a black wallet that purportedly held 44 small blue and white bags of cocaine were also obtained during Pryor and Harkins’ capture, in addition to a bevy of cash that totaled to around $647. Pryor was also said to be in possession of a blue bag of cocaine himself, similar to the ones found on Harkins, as well as two grams of marijuana.

“[In total], the tally for Harkins included 10 plastic bags of marijuana each weighing about two grams,” the report continued, “[with] 51 plastic bags with cocaine each weighing about one gram, and a plastic bag with marijuana weighing about 10 grams.”

After being booked in the Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Harkins was ultimately released on $30,000 bond. Pryor, meanwhile, was remanded on $4,000 bail, which he also was able to pay. Both received felony charges of cocaine possession and two misdemeanors for the possession of marijuana, and a tag light violation. Their next court date on the matter is scheduled for March 27.

Initially recognized as one of Atlanta’s most notable drag performers, Pryor would go on to public prominence after appearing on LOGO’s RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2009. Although she only managed to make it as far as the season’s second episode before being eliminated, her pride-filled delivery of her drag name and place of residence (“I’m Nicole Paige Brooks from Atlanta, GA!”) during the premiere episode of Season 2 helped her to become one of the show’s most notable participants in its entire nine-year history.

RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 2) – Logo TV

Incidentally, Pryor’s name can now be additionally categorized on the list of other RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni who were arrested following their appearances on the show.

For example, the eventual winner of season 2, James Ross IV, more often known as Tyra Sanchez, has racked up two arrests since snatching the crown from his 2009 competitors for marijuana possession in both 2011 and 2014, as noted by both E! Online and the New York Daily News. Moreover, yet another RPDR contestant, Season 3 player Jaremi Carey (Phi Phi O’Hara), would take to YouTube in December 2015 to express that he had also been arrested and jailed for a drunk driving charge.

When contacted by Project Q for comment, both Pryor and Harkins declined to make statements on their arrests. The ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, initially shot last summer, will debut on LOGO at some time in March, as noted by Variety.

[Featured Image by Cobb County Sheriff’s Office]