Jamar Goff, the 23-year-old foster son of Food Network star Ree Drummond, was arrested September 14 in Birmingham, Alabama, according to University of Alabama at Birmingham police. Officers responded to a report of a suspicious person asleep on a bench. Police say Goff told the officer he was waiting to buy methamphetamine, known on the street as “ice,” then ran when the officer tried to arrest him and allegedly slapped the officer in the chin near a hospital emergency entrance.
He was pepper sprayed and handcuffed, and police say they recovered a glass pipe with burnt residue and baggies of suspected meth from a backpack, with more found on him during booking at Jefferson County Jail. Goff was evaluated at a hospital before being booked on charges including second-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, attempting to elude, and possession of drug paraphernalia. His bond is set at $37,000.
Drummond, known to millions as “The Pioneer Woman,” built her brand around family and ranch life in Oklahoma, and this case is drawing attention well beyond Alabama. It also raises familiar questions about addiction in young adults and the pressures that come with a public family name. Have you seen addiction touch someone close to you, and what made the difference in getting help? Let us know in the comments.
