Tim Lambesis, lead singer of band "As I Lay Dying," suspected of murder-for-hire plot to kill wife

(CBS/AP) OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- The lead singer of the Grammy-nominated metal band "As I Lay Dying" went to jail on Wednesday in Southern California on suspicion that he tried to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife.

According to a statement released by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Tim Lambesis, 32, was detained by police late Tuesday as he was shopping in Oceanside. The arrest came five days after several law enforcement agencies launched an investigation into a tip that the singer tried to hire someone to kill his wife. 

Lambesis is scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday at the county courthouse in Vista.

As I Lay Dying formed in San Diego in 2000 and has released six albums, including 2007's "An Ocean Between Us," which reached No. 8 on Billboard's charts. Their last album, "Awakened," came out in September.

The band's website says its most recent album compared to previous albums is a "far darker, more pessimistic beast."

"On this record, I wasn't purposefully trying to be negative, but I think sometimes we have to be honest with some of the darker and more difficult times of our lives to get back to that positivity," Lambesis is quoted as saying. "While the lyrics do perhaps seem like a dark window into my soul, they're written that way specifically because I want to move on and transcend those difficult moments in life."

It is not clear whether Lambesis has hired an attorney.

The band is scheduled to tour the country with several other metal acts starting later this month.