'Moonshiners' Star Charged: Steven Ray Tickle Arrested For Public Intoxication At Convenience Store; See Mugshot Here

Authorities in southwestern Virginia said they have arrested Steven Ray Tickle, one of the stars of Discovery Channel's "Moonshiners" program. The 35-year-old, known only by his surname on the show, was detained after visitors to Charley's Stop and Shop noticed a man sitting in his vehicle who appeared to be intoxicated.

Police arrived on scene in Danville, Va., Thursday afternoon to find Tickle in possession of an open container of alcohol and placed him under arrest, holding him in Danville City Jail.

Tickle and his friend Tim Smith are one of the pairs of moonshiners documented on the Discovery Channel show. Smith recently ceased the illegal activity and is seeking to legally market his blend of whiskey.

Moonshining, or illegally distilling alcohol, was at one time commonplace in the fledgling America and has always been considered native to the Appalachian Mountains, especially from Pennsylvania to Georgia.

It supposedly takes its name from the fact that much of the brewing takes place under the cover of darkness to avoid authorities' watchful eyes. During the prohibition era, moonshining was a lucrative underground trade as the U.S. government banned the sale of all spirits. Mobster Al Capone was said to be involved in moonshining activity as a way to make fast money for his crime syndicate.

At one time, the Commonwealth of Virginia established "dry counties" where alcohol could not be sold at all. These places are purportedly still hotbeds of distilling activity as the act notably flourished in these areas when the substance was banned. Some areas of Virginia still allow local referendums on banning the sale of alcohol and becoming "dry" regions. Since the mid-20th Century, the act has diminished throughout the United States as law enforcement technology has advanced in fighting the infraction. But, moonshining is reportedly still alive and well in secret in places throughout Appalachia.

The "Moonshiners" program follows a groups of moonshiners located in the mountains and forests of South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.