Tag Archives: drunk driving

Industry News

Haley Joel Osment charged with drunk driving, pot possession

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GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) _ Haley Joel Osment, who suffered a broken rib last month when his car struck a mailbox, has been charged with drunk driving and marijuana possession, authorities said.

Osment’s blood-alcohol level after the July 20 crash was measured at .16 per cent, twice the legal limit, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

The 18-year-old actor was charged Thursday with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence, marijuana possession and driving under the influence with the special allegation of having a blood-alcohol content of .15 per cent or higher. He also faces a vehicle code infraction of being under the age of 21 and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .05 per cent or greater.

Osment, who faces a maximum of six months in jail if convicted, was scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 19 in Glendale Superior Court. His lawyer will work with authorities to arrange a time for Osment _ the star of films such as The Sixth Sense and Pay it Forward _ to surrender, Robison said. The district attorney plans to request that bail be set at $15,000 US.

DreamWorks spokesman and family friend Marvin Levy said Thursday the family would have "no comment at this time" on the charges.

Levy said Wednesday that Osment has recovered from injuries that landed him in the hospital and is preparing to attend college in the fall. Authorities said Osment was driving home alone about 1 a.m. when his 1995 Saturn hit a mailbox and flipped over.

Headline, Industry News

Mel Gibson pleads no contest

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MALIBU, Calif. (AP) _ Mel Gibson pleaded no contest to a misdemeanour drunken-driving charge Thursday and was sentenced to three years’ probation, the district attorney’s office said.

Gibson did not appear but entered the plea through his lawyer before Superior Court Judge Lawrence Mira, Deputy District Attorney Gina Satriano said in a statement.

Two counts in the original three-count complaint were dismissed, and Gibson volunteered to do public-service announcements on the hazards of drinking and driving, and to immediately enter rehabilitation, Satriano said.

The arraignment was originally scheduled for Sept. 28 but was moved up at the request of Gibson’s lawyer.

Gibson was stopped around 2:30 a.m. on July 28 while driving on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu and made anti-Semitic remarks to the arresting deputy, plunging Gibson into a scandal that forced him to later apologize for what he called "belligerent behaviour" and "despicable" remarks.

Gibson was charged with misdemeanour driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while having a 0.08 per cent or higher blood-alcohol level, and the infraction of possessing an open container of alcohol while driving.

The first and third counts were dismissed in the deal.

"This was an appropriate outcome which addresses all the public safety concerns of drinking and driving," Satriano said.

The judge ordered Gibson to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings five times a week for 4 months and three AA meetings per week for another 7 months.

The district attorney’s office also said he was ordered to enrol in an alcohol-abuse program for three months, fined a total of $1,300 US and had his licence restricted for 90 days