Celebrity Arrests
Sarah Vulpio
What do Lindsay Lohan, Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton and Reese Witherspoon have in common? Yes, they’re all celebrities, but that’s not it. Great hair? You’re getting close. Drunken mishaps with the police? You got it! Yes, even America’s sweetheart, Reese Witherspoon has joined the rest of Hollywood in the “poor life choices” club, not to be confused with the “I can’t believe I just did that” club, with members like Kanye West, Heidi Montag or any of the girls from “Teen Mom.” Though this mistake was minor in comparison to most celebrity mishaps, it still shocked everyone to know the “Legally Blonde” star was behind bars.
On April 19, while filming in Atlanta, Witherspoon and husband Jim Toth were arrested after Toth was pulled over under suspicion of drunk driving when a police officer spotted him driving in the wrong lane. A blood alcohol test indicated Toth’s level was at 0.139 — way above the legal limit. Witherspoon, who was also highly intoxicated, did not take this lightly. When the officer came to the driver’s side of the vehicle, Witherspoon began to hang out of the window, accusing him of not being a real police officer. When the officer instructed her to “sit on her butt and be quiet,” she pulled the “do you know who I am?” card, threatening that the officer would be on national television for his “mistake.” She even exited the vehicle multiple times, and was commanded to return to her seat each time.
The actress was then charged with disorderly conduct for her verbal argument with the police. Both she and Toth were taken to the local Atlanta police department where they were held until 3:30 a.m. Both had mugshots taken, and even then Witherspoon still showed her southern charm. How can anyone stay mad at America’s sweetheart?
Unlike a majority of previous arrestees, Witherspoon made a public apology, acknowledging her wrongdoings. Witherspoon said she was scared for her husband, which caused her to verbally lash out against the police officer, but looking back on it, that probably wasn’t the greatest decision. Alcohol + verbally assaulting a police officer = party foul.
In a statement, she claimed she had “one drink too many,” and is “deeply embarrassed” by her actions. She even apologized to the officer, saying she “was disrespectful.” Now let’s compare her situation to Lindsay Lohan, who believes writing profanity on her nails for her court hearing is better than apologizing for her mistakes. Hmm, maybe Lohan could learn a thing or two from her fellow A-lister.
What we can all take away from this is a lesson in responsibility. Even celebrities have trouble with the law, but as we saw here, they can’t always use that as their “get out of jail free” card.