Former Deadliest Catch Star Jerod Sechrist Arrested, Charged with Heroin Possession

Aurelie Corinthios

Jerod Sechrist, who previously appeared on Deadliest Catch as a deckhand, was arrested earlier this month, PEOPLE confirms.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office inmate database, Sechrist, 33, was arrested on Oct. 5 by the Tampa Police Department in Tampa, Florida.

He was charged with one felony count of possession of heroin and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a criminal report affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, Sechrist was taken into custody on an open warrant for a previous reckless driving case. When he was searched, officers found a small clear bag in his pocket with a white powder substance inside, which tested positive for heroin, the affidavit states.

RELATED: Deadliest Catch‘s Edgar Hansen Admits Sexually Abusing 16-Year-Old Girl

Sechrist appeared on three episodes of the Discovery Channel series in 2016, according to IMDB. A rep for the network had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

Chicago Police Department
Chicago Police Department

In an interview with PopCulture.com earlier this year, Deadliest Catch Captain “Wild Bill” Wichrowski said putting together a good crew in the commercial fishing industry has gotten more challenging.

“It’s harder to find excellent guys,” he told the website. “They used to be lined up 12 deep when we were making the crazy rock star money, but now it’s almost easier to mold the ones you have and obviously, there’s, throughout the fleet, there’s addiction problems.”

“I’m always the watchdog, keeping an eye on them, and I can see it from here to the other side of the island when anybody messes up,” he continued. “My one guy, [deck boss Nick McGlashan], was down pretty hard for a long time, and everybody pretty much gave up on him. He had helped me get where I am today, and I put a lot into him and I tend to get a lot out of him, and I hope that he keeps his head straight.”

He added that it was a “healthier bunch” altogether on his ship nowadays, noting, “It’s funny, but my guys are — instead of sitting around reading whatever kind of magazines — they’re all sitting around reading the Bible and getting their head together.”

TMZ first reported the news of Sechrist’s arrest.