A new report is alleging that former DC Talk member and Newsboys frontman Michael Tait drugged and sexually abused two more men on separate occasions while they were inside the singer’s home.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of alleged sexual assault that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
On Jan. 16, Tait abruptly announced that he was leaving Newsboys. He had been the band’s lead singer since 2009. Tait was previously a member of DC Talk, a band that has been on hiatus since 2000.
Since leaving Newsboys, Tait has been accused of grooming, sexually assaulting, and drugging young men—including minors—as well as of watching a young woman be raped in 2014.
According to a report released by The Guardian on Tuesday (July 29), founding manager of the Grammy Award-winning band Evanescence Jason Jones and songwriter/producer Randall Crawford, have come forward claiming they too are survivors of sexual abuse.
RELATED: Michael Tait Accused of Watching Sexual Assault of a Young Woman He Drugged
Jones claims that Tait befriended him after Crawford introduced them to one another in 1994. The Guardian described Jones as being “thrilled to be welcomed into Tait’s inner circle,” but was stunned when he saw Tait randomly grab other men’s genitals.
While Tait was still performing in DC Talk, Jones found out that Tait was gay. Jones said that Tait’s sexual orientation didn’t affect their friendship. In fact, Jones recalled taking Tait to gay clubs when DC Talk would perform in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Before Jones met Tait, he was an evangelical that didn’t drink or have sex. After meeting the “I Don’t Want It” Christian singer, Jones became a person who chain-smoked cigarettes and marijuana, closed down bars, and would finish off the night by returning to Tait’s house to drink some more.
Referring to the band Evanescence, Jones said, “I had this band that I was trying to take places and [Tait] had the power to open doors for us in the industry. So I went along with whatever, but didn’t know what it would cost me.”
Evanescence benefitted from Jones’ relationship with Tait, which provided the band with connections to record labels, A&R persons, producers, musicians, and places to play shows.
In 1998, Jones, who was 18 at the time, recalled a time when he was at Tait’s house following rehearsals for DC Talk’s Supernatural Tour. After some drinking, Jones said Tait told him to go lie in Tait’s bed after feeling tired. “I felt honored that he felt that close to me, that he trusted me enough to let me sleep in his bed,” Jones recalled.
