Best known for winning season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and his subsequent behavior after taking home the title, James Ross (formerly known as Tyra Sanchez) made headlines this week after reports of being arrested circulated online.
While many news outlets were originally claiming the incident occurred earlier this week, it is now clear Ross was arrested on May 17 at 5:26 p.m. ET, after reporting officer Jay Raulerson responded to a minor vehicle crash.
Entertainment Weekly, reported that a police officer was the first to respond to the scene. The report also notes that Ross was arrested for allegedly resisting an officer without violence. There’s also a single charge of alleged simple assault on an officer.
In the EW report, the Starke PD Supervisor of Records said that the “incident is still under investigation” “incident is still under investigation” and “no further” details can be released at this time.
Shortly after the news made the rounds online, Ross himself responded to the claims, maintaining that it was untrue he was in jail.
“Ummm. I’m not in jail. I actually just woke up after exhaustion from my trip to Boston where I attended my son’s high school graduation. You can stop with the rumors and speculation. Standby while I sue [the Starke Police Department].”
Ummm. I’m not in jail. I actually just woke up after exhaustion from my trip to Boston where I attended my son’s high school graduation. You can stop with the rumors and speculation. Standby while I sue @StarkePoliceDep pic.twitter.com/qQPJWrYKRj
— James Ross (@creatoriv) June 10, 2023
In a subsequent tweet from Sunday, June 11, Ross expressed his disappointment with the news coverage of his arrest, writing:
“To every news outlet/media/blog that has reached out, NO I WILL NOT INTERVIEW WITH YOU. I announced a tour in February, did you cover that? I did an interview in March. Did you cover that? Unless you’re paying at minimum 1k for my time, stay out my inbox. Now, cover that story.”
Before the incident, Ross embarked on a comeback tour as a drag performer under the name of King Tyra.
Unfortunately, his recent arrest was not his first run in with controversy. After securing the Drag Race season 2 crown, the former drag entertainer became a questionable figure in the Drag Race fandom. Many heavily criticized Ross for being banned from DragCon for making allegedly threatening posts ahead of the 2018 event. This behavior is something Ross later apologized for in 2019.
What are your thoughts on Ross’s predicament? Sound off in the comments down below!
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