Barenaked Ladies Singer Arrested for Possession of Cocaine

Barenaked Ladies singer and guitarist Steven Page was arrested in upstate New York on Friday and charged with possession of cocaine, the Associated Press reports.

The 38-year-old musician and two females were arrested at an apartment in Fayetteville, a suburb of Syracuse, just after 2 a.m. Friday, when a patrol unit arrived on scene to inspect a nearby car with its driver's side door left open, Manilus police Capt. Bill Bleyle said in a statement Wednesday.

According to Bleyle, Page was visiting Christine Benedicto, 27, at her Fayetteville apartment when they had an argument and Benedicto drove off in Page's vehicle.

Manlius officers on patrol found a car parked across the sidewalk with an open driver's side door at 2 a.m. After looking up the license plate, they found that it was registered to that address.

Bleyle said that the officers who approached the house saw Page and Stephanie Ford, 25, Benedicto's roommate, at the kitchen table with a white capsule that later tested positive for cocaine.

Page was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Ford was also charge with fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marijuana. Benedicto, while not home at the time, was charged later Friday with seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor, and unlawful possession of marijuana.

Bleyle stated that each individual was arraigned in Manlius Town Court with Page posting $10,000 bail for himself and $5,000 for Ford. Benedicto, however, was released on her own recognizance.

According to newspaper reports, Page and his wife, Carolyn Ricketts, separated last year; however, the the nature of the relationship between Page and Benedicto remains unclear.