With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Here's Reese Witherspoon's Eye Contact-Avoiding Mugshot
When you hear someone famous has been arrested in Atlanta, you imagine that the word famous is being over-generously applied to a member of "The Real Housewives." But today it was revealed that Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon was arrested for disorderly conduct on Friday—because she was complaining about how long it was taking a cop to arrest her husband for DUI.
Witherspoon has been in Atlanta filming "The Good Lie." Just after midnight on Friday, Witherspoon's husband, Jim Toth, was pulled over (with Witherspoon in the car): Variety reports, a police officer "witnessed weaving across a double line on Atlanta's Peachtree St. Toth appeared disheveled and his breath smelled of alcohol, according to the police report, prompting the officer to administer a sobriety test."
The police report said, "Mrs. Witherspoon began to hang out the window and say that she did not believe that I was a real police officer. I told Mrs. Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet." When Toth was arrested for DUI, Witherspoon got out of the car. Though the cop said she should get in the car, the actress "stated that she was a ‘US citizen’ and that she was allowed to ‘stand on American ground.’"
She also said, "Do you know my name?" When the cop said, "No, I don't need to know your name," to which Witherspoon allegedly retorted, "You're about to find out who I am ... You are going to be on national news." The cop stated in the police report, "I advised Mrs. Witherspoon that was fine." Police arrested Witherspoon when she exited the car a second time—they even cuffed her because she "disobeyed multiple orders to stay in the car."
Sponsored message
According to TMZ, "As for Toth's part of the arrest ... the officer in the report described him by saying his 'eye lids were droopy' and his eyes were 'blood shot and watery.' The officer said he smelled a 'strong odor' of alcohol coming from Toth." Toth allegedly said he had one drink hours earlier but allegedly blew a 0.139 on the Breathalyzer; the legal limit is 0.08.
The couple, who married in 2011, was seen in New York City today.
The pair have a court date tomorrow, but Variety says, "Witherspoon and Toth aren't expected to appear, according to sources. Their attorney is expected to request that court date be postponed."
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
