El Paso rock radio host Buzz Adams allegedly had a cold beer, a loaded revolver, a burnt joint and a THC vape pen in his black Cadillac when he was pulled over by an El Paso County sheriff’s deputy over the weekend, court documents stated.
The El Paso Times obtained four criminal complaint affidavits filed by a deputy that revealed new details in the arrest of Adams, legal name Michael Earl Witt, 58, during a traffic stop on Jan. 10 in Vinton, just northwest of El Paso.
The “Buzz Adams Morning Show” on KLAQ-95.5 FM has been a humorous part of El Paso morning radio since the 1990s and is syndicated to other stations in West Texas.
Justin Underwood, Adams’ attorney, addressed the arrest and charges about 7:30 a.m. Friday on Adams’ radio show.
Underwood said that deputies left key evidence out of the affidavit, including Adams not having bloodshot eyes, slurred speech or unstable balance. He added that the accusation of a cold beer being in the vehicle is misleading, as the beer was not open and only cold because of the cold weather temperatures at the time.
“At no point in any of the affidavits, does it say that Buzz has red or bloodshot eyes,” Underwood said. “Slurred speech? Nope. Unstable balance at the scene? Nope. Does it say that he’s driving impaired at any point in time? Absolutely, unequivocally, no.”
He added, “I looked at the affidavits and this is what I think: what’s missing from these sworn statements speaks volumes.”
Underwood argued that since the evidence fails to prove Adams was intoxicated, the gun charge does not hold up since he is legally allowed to carry a firearm. The arrest happened near the U.S.-New Mexico state line and the marijuana vape pen was empty, Underwood said. He added that several people had been in-and-out of Adam’s vehicle the previous night.
Adams, under legal advice from Underwood, did not speak about his case during his attorney’s appearance on the show. No court hearings have been set in the case, court records show.
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The traffic stop occurred about 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 10, after a deputy on patrol saw a black Cadillac lacking a front Texas license plate as it approached the intersection of Vinton Road and Doniphan Drive.
The deputy made a U-turn, got behind the Cadillac and pulled it over in the 300 block of West Vinton Road.
KLAQ rock radio host Buzz Adams, real name Michael Earl Witt, was arrested on charges of DWI, unlawful carrying of a weapon and drug possession during a traffic stop in Vinton, Texas, by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on Jan. 10, 2026.
While speaking with the driver, the deputy noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and saw in the driver’s door a black vape pen with a marijuana leaf symbol with yellow wax that later tested positive for THC, the complaint stated.
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Adams “grabbed the vape pen and stated it was tobacco. (The deputy) seized the vape pen and advised him that tobacco vape pens don’t have marijuana leaf plants on them,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit.
Adams was asked to step out of a vehicle. When the deputy told Adams that he had probable cause to search the vehicle, Adams allegedly told him “that there was going to be empty cartridges for marijuana joints and a .38′” in the vehicle. Adams added that the handgun belonged to him, the affidavits stated.
Deputies also find gun, beer and joint in vehicle
A loaded black .38-caliber revolver was located in the driver’s door panel. Under the driver’s seat, deputies found a cold 12-ounce can of Stella Artois beer as well as a white plastic tube with a red “THC!” sticker that contained a burnt joint, the affidavits stated. The document does not say if the beer can was open.
Adams allegedly had a “faint odor of alcohol” on his breath and person that was also detected by another deputy at the scene but Adams denied that he had anything to drink.
The complaint stated that Adams was swaying side to side, had difficult with his balance and allegedly displayed six out of six clues during an eye test as part of a field sobriety test conducted at the sheriff’s Northwest Patrol Station in Vinton. Adams then refused to take part in the remainder of the field test.
Adams “refused to provide a specimen” for a what appears to have been a breath-alcohol test but is not specified in the complaint.
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The affidavit mentioned the deputy was to request a search warrant for a blood test but the document doesn’t say the result of any blood-alcohol test.
Adams was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated, unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance (less than a gram of THC) and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, the Sheriff’s Office stated.
He was booked into the El Paso County Jail under a $6,600 bond and later released on bond. He remains on the air on KLAQ.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New details revealed in arrest of El Paso KLAQ radio host Buzz Adams