Witherspoon, Husband Arrested in Atlanta
Actress Reese Witherspoon played the celebrity card when her husband was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence in Atlanta on Friday.
The Legally Blonde star, 37, and her husband, Creative Artists Agency co-head of motion picture talent Jim Toth, 42, were arrested and briefly jailed. The pair was in Atlanta where Witherspoon has been filming the indie movie The Good Life.
The couple was stopped after midnight when an officer noticed their silver 2013 Ford Focus weaving into the lane of oncoming traffic.
The officer said Toth’s “eye lids were droopy” and his eyes were “blood shot and watery.” He also reported smelling a “strong odor” of alcohol coming from Toth.
The officer stated that Toth told him he only had one drink, but when given a Breathalyzer test, Toth’s blood alcohol level was .139.
Witherspoon reportedly became increasingly agitated while Toth was being given a sobriety test. According to the report, the actress disobeyed repeated instructions to stay in the vehicle and proceeded to argue on her husband’s behalf.
“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. She stated that she was a ‘US citizen’ and that she was allowed to ‘stand on American ground.’ Mrs. Witherspoon asked, ‘Do you know my name?’ I answered, ‘No, I don’t need to know your name.’ I then added, ‘right now.’ Mrs. Witherspoon stated, ‘You’re about to find out who I am.’ Mrs. Witherspoon also stated, ‘You are going to be on national news.’ I advised Mrs. Witherspoon that was fine.”
Witherspoon reportedly resisted when the officer grabbed her arms to put her in handcuffs. Toth was booked on driving under the influence and Witherspoon on disorderly conduct then released at around 3:30 a.m. ET. The pair was released.
They’re scheduled to appear in court first thing Monday morning, but sources say that they’ll likely request a postponement since Witherspoon was in New York City Sunday night for the premiere of her film Mud, co-starring Matthew McConaughey.
Witherspoon and Toth have been married since March 2011 and have one son, Tennessee James Toth, together, born in September 2012. The actress has two children — Ava, 13, and Deacon, 9 — with her first husband, Ryan Phillippe.
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