Louis Eric Barrier – better known as Eric B from the legendary hip hop duo Eric B & Rakim – was released on bail today after spending two weeks in a New Jersey county jail.

Now an actor on the CBS drama Blue Bloods, former DJ Eric B was arrested for a 17 year old bench warrant for failure to appear.

News broke this morning that the 56 year old Barrier had been jailed since October 28 after Eric B’s attorney, Patrick Toscano, contacted nj.com.

Eric B had pled guilty to aggravated assault and resisting arrest on in January 2002. Eric B’s then-attorney advised him he had no need to attend the sentencing. The attorney in question was later convicted of multiple crimes including murder, cocaine trafficking and racketeering and is currently serving multiple life sentences at the Florence Supermax prison in Colorado.

NJ.com reports that Eric B was made aware of the outstanding warrant after speaking to state police in Vermont last month and appeared to be trying to clear up the warrant when he was taken into custody:

Toscano said Barrier came back to New Jersey, contacted an attorney about the warrant and has been in the Bergen County Jail since Oct. 28. He marked his 56th birthday in jail last week on Nov. 8. “Indeed, (Barrier) is a highly public figure and currently is a cast member on the television show ‘Blue Bloods’ and is easily reachable at all times,” Toscano wrote.

 

Eric B spent his 56th birthday in jail on November 8, according to NJ.com.

This afternoon Eric B was granted bail and was released when the judge determined he was not a flight risk and “voiced concern that it took 17 years for someone to discover the warrant.” His next court date is November 22.

Read more at nj.com.