El Paso rock radio host Buzz Adams allegedly had a cold beer, a loaded revolver, burnt joints 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 say.
this el paso times Four criminal charging affidavits filed by a deputy were obtained, revealing new details surrounding the Jan. 10 arrest of Adams, whose legal name is Michael Earl Witt, 58, during a traffic stop in Vinton, northwest of El Paso.
KLAQ-95.5 FM’s “Buzz Adams Morning Show” has been the humor part of El Paso’s morning radio stations since the 1990s and is syndicated with other stations in West Texas.
Adams’ attorney, Justin Underwood, said he will address the situation on Adams’ radio show at 7:30 a.m. Friday.
El Paso KLAQ radio host arrested for DUI
Around 10:40 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, a patrol officer saw a black Cadillac approaching the intersection of Vinton Road and Doniphan Avenue without a Texas license plate on the front, causing a traffic jam.
The deputy made a U-turn, got behind the Cadillac and parked it in the 300 block of Sivington Road.
KLAQ rock radio host Buzz Adams, real name Michael Earl Witt, was arrested by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office on January 10, 2026, on charges of driving under the influence, unlawful carrying of a weapon and unlawful possession of drugs during a traffic stop in Vinton, Texas.
While speaking with the driver, the deputy noticed a strong odor of burnt marijuana coming from the vehicle and saw a black vape pen with a marijuana leaf symbol and yellow wax on the driver’s door that later tested positive for THC, the complaint states.
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Adams “grabbed the vape pen and stated it was tobacco. (The deputy) grabbed the vape pen and told him the tobacco vape pen did not have a marijuana leaf plant on it,” the deputy wrote in the affidavit.
Adams was asked to exit the vehicle. When the deputy told Adams he might have grounds to search the vehicle, Adams allegedly told him “there would be empty marijuana bongs and .38-in.” Adams added that the pistol belonged to him, the affidavit said.
Officers also found firearms, beer and marijuana cigarettes in the vehicle.
A loaded black .38 caliber revolver was found on the driver’s door panel. Under the driver’s seat, deputies found a 12-ounce can of ice-cold Stella Artois beer and a white plastic pipe with a red “THC!” The sticker had burnt joints, the affidavit said. The document did not say whether the beer can was opened.
Adams allegedly had a “light odor of alcohol” on his breath and body, which was also detected by another officer at the scene, but Adams denied he had drunk anything.
Adams swayed from side to side, had difficulty balancing, and allegedly showed six out of six clues in a vision test during a field sobriety test conducted at the Northwest Patrol Station in Vinton, the complaint states. Adams subsequently declined to participate in the remaining field tests.
Adams “refused to provide a sample” for what appeared to be a breathalyzer test, but that’s not specified in the complaint.
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The affidavit states that the deputy will request a search warrant for a blood test, but the document does not state the results of any blood alcohol test.
Adams was arrested for driving while intoxicated, unlawful carrying of a weapon, possession of a controlled substance (less than one gram of THC) and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, the Sheriff’s Office said.
He was being held at the El Paso County Jail on $6,600 bail and later released on bail. He still airs on KLAQ.
Daniel Borunda can be reached at dborunda@elpasotimes.com and @BorundaDaniel on X.
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: New details revealed in arrest of El Paso KLAQ radio host Buzz Adams
