A police officer who arrested two members of The Rolling Stones has died at the age of 77.
Eddie Charles Childer passed away on June 14 according to an obituary website which lists the arrest of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards in July 1975 as a “career highlight” for the former officer of the law. Richards apparently remembers the moment too, writing about his and Wood’s arrest in the opening pages of his autobiography, Life. Richards and Wood had stopped off for lunch in the town of Fordyce, Arkansas but on their way back to onto the road they were pulled over for reckless driving. Richards, who had been behind the wheel of the Chevy Impala, was arrested at the scene alongside Wood.
A search of the car found two grams of cocaine, which had allegedly belonged to passenger Fred Sessler, Far Out Magazine reported. Richards passed a sobriety test at the time but was arrested for the possession of an illegal hunting knife.
A death notice posted by Benton Funeral Home reads: “Eddie Charles Childers, age 77 of Norphlet, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at his home after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was born on December 15, 1948 in Hampton, Arkansas to Garland Childers and Louise Oldham Childers Davis. He graduated from Hampton High School in 1967.
“Eddie is preceded in death by his parents Garland and Louise Childers Davis. He is survived by his high school sweetheart and devoted wife of 48 years, Linda Kay Smith Childers; one son, Clayton (Angie) Childers of Parkers Chapel; one daughter, Katrina Childers of Texarkana, TX; two grandchildren, Caleb and Aubrey Childers; three sisters, Evelyn (Farrell) Clark of Little Rock, Garlene Jones and Juanitz Childers of Hampton; one brother, Clifford (Robby) Childers of Hampton; brother-in-law, Rickey (Dottie) Smith of Hampton; and several nieces and nephews.
“Eddie was in the Army National Guard in Fordyce. He worked for the Fordyce Police Department, and the highlight of his police career was arresting the Rolling Stones. He later drove a truck for Jimmy Martin Trucking. He retired from the Norphlet School District in 2014 as transportation director. After retirement he continued to help driving buses as needed. Along with his passion for driving a bus, he made sure his yard was well-maintained.”
Around the time of Richards’ 1975 arrest, the guitarist considered The Rolling Stones to be “the most dangerous rock band in the world”. He explained in his autobiography: “It was 1975, a time of brutality and confrontation. Open season on the Stones had been declared since our last tour, the tour of ’72, known as the STP. The State Department had noted riots (true), civil disobedience (also true), illicit sex (whatever that is), and violence across the United States. All the fault of us, mere minstrels.
“We had been inciting youth to rebellion, we were corrupting America, and they had ruled never to let us travel in the United States again. It had become, in the time of Nixon, a serious political matter. He had personally deployed his dogs and dirty tricks against John Lennon, who he thought might cost him an election. We, in turn, they told our lawyer officially, were the most dangerous rock-and-roll band in the world.”
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