SALEM, Ore. — Journey drummer Deen Castronovo was high on meth and hallucinating when he was arrested two weeks ago and accused of misdemeanor assault and menacing, his attorney said Wednesday during a bail hearing.
Castronovo’s attorney Jeffrey Jones asked an Oregon judge to set his bail at $50,000, saying he would be driven straight to a rehab clinic if released. Castronovo was released on bail after he was arrested June 14 and ordered to stay away from the woman who’s accused him of raping her.
Despite the court order, prosecutors said Castronovo has texted the woman 122 times and called her 35 times since he posted bail, with his messages swinging between contrition and threats.
The 50-year-old drummer was booked into the Marion County Jail after a grand jury indicted him Monday. He now faces felony charges of assault, sexual abuse and unlawful use of a dangerous weapon. The indictment accuses Castronovo of having sexual intercourse with the victim “by forcible compulsion” between June 8 and June 14.
During the bail hearing, Marion County Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Gardiner played two voice mails Castronovo left for the victim. In them Castronovo first accuses the woman of “destroying my life because of the things I did to you” before ending the message with “I love you, thanks.” He can be heard crying in the second voice mail and says, “thank you for turning me in. Thank you for ruining my life even more.”
Marion County Circuit Judge Channing Bennett denied bail for the rock band drummer, saying his repeated attempts to contact the victim show that he poses a threat.
“My finding is he has no regard for the court’s order,” Bennett said. “I do find he is a danger to the victim.”
Jones argued neither of Castronovo’s two ex-wives — both of whom attended the bail hearing — ever accused him of domestic violence.
“He has no prior criminal history, no prior arrests,” Jones said. “He’s actually a pretty good part of the community, a contributing member,” he added.
Castronovo has been with Journey since 1998, when he replaced Steve Smith — the drummer on the group’s best-known songs, including “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
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