They say every story has two sides. On Friday, two days after his arrest for allegedly vandalizing his neighbor’s patio, Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin reached out to The Hollywood Reporter to explain his side.
The 41-year-old rocker tells THR that patio is technically his, as it was built, he claims, as an encroachment on his property about two years ago.
According to Scantlin, the property’s previous owner built a patio while he was away on tour with his band. The construction, he says, damaged his patio and a large outdoor staircase on the side of his home.
“To make a long story short, [they thought] ‘OK, dumb rock star is gonna be gone on tour. Dumb rock star is probably going to come home and not notice,'” Scantlin, who says he was raised in the construction business, tells THR. “But I noticed because I can’t get to my patio now. They destroyed 35 feet of my staircase, put up walls and boundaries and completely destroyed and vandalized my wall.”
To hear Scantlin tell it, he’s not vandalizing a neighbor’s property, he’s simply “repairing and remodeling my property to the way it used to be.”
The interview comes the day after Scantlin’s arrest made headlines, and the neighbor in question came forward in an interview with THR: electro-pop recording artist Sasha Gradiva, aka “Gun Girl.” Gradiva, who bought the property approximately one year ago with said patio completely intact, says she’s seeking a criminal restraining order against Scantlin.
“This has been going on for a while now, a few months,” she told THR of Scantlin’s presence on her property, noting that she had called the authorities multiple times. “Every time, he would run into his house and lock the doors and he wouldn’t open them … Police couldn’t exactly get him for my call, but [on Wednesday] they got him. He literally was jumping from my patio to his roof, and [police officers] were running around his house to catch him.”
Asked about the arrest, Scantlin scoffs. “I was arrested for vandalizing my own property,” he says. “I’m not sure if I have to call the police every time that I’m getting ready to repair my house. Do I have to call the police and say, ‘Hi, how are you? I’m getting ready to repair my house. Is it OK if I repair my house?'”
Scantlin says he has no hard feelings towards Gradiva, noting that she was likely unaware of the situation when she purchased the house, but says that he gave Gradiva and the property’s previous owner “ample amounts of time to remedy the whole situation.” He also claims to have previously hired an attorney to get involved, but “I gave the attorney $5,000 and he never did anything about it.”
Scantlin says that he had hoped to be “friendly” and “neighborly” with Gradiva, adding: “It’s not Sasha’s fault, but to file a restraining order against me for remodeling and repairing my property is outlandish… I would never harm a woman. I don’t resort to violence.”
The rocker is also quick to clarify that he’s no “peeping tom,” either.
“The whole reason that I think they made my staircase non-accessible is because they were worried about peeping toms or something,” he says. “I’m not gonna get up there and spy on her, I’ve got enough girls in my life. I don’t need to go peeping into some neighbor’s windows. I don’t do s–t like that.”
Scantlin is due back in court on Aug. 14, and says he will provide the judge with the proper paperwork to prove that his own property has been violated.
“All I have to do is show the judge the surveys of my property line and he’ll go, ‘Oh, OK, so why did they do this? Why are they protruding and encroaching and trespassing and vandalizing this man’s property?'” he says.
In the meantime, Scantlin has his label — Geffen imprint Flawless Records — to face.
“I’m meeting with my manger and my record company today,” Scantlin tells THR. “They’re gonna be really upset because I was in jail.”
And after he faces an impending scolding from label execs, Scantlin plans to begin production on a new album of originals, the band’s first since 2009.
“We have tons and tons of new hit songs,” Scantlin says. “I write every single night and we record all the time. We’re getting ready to go in and do the record, tour a little bit for the summer, and then do the full production and get back on the scene.”