*Photo: Reese Witherspoon (left) and husband James Toth (right) mug shots from the city of Atlanta Department of Corrections.
Being pulled over tends to bring out the worst in people. If you’re a red carpet celebrity, however, the world is able to see your every move.
Oscar-winning actress, Reese Witherspoon, was with her husband and Hollywood agent, James Toth, when he was placed under arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. The trooper that arrested Toth said he noticed the car wasn’t staying in its lane early Friday morning, so he went to go pull the motorist over.
The report states that Toth had droopy eyelids, watery, bloodshot eyes, and that his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.
Also under the influence of alcohol, passenger and wife, Reese Witherspoon, decided she couldn’t bear to watch her husband get arrested. While Toth was taking his field sobriety tests, Witherspoon couldn’t stop herself from getting out of the car multiple times, even after being warned she would be placed under arrest if she continued to act out of line.
“Mrs. Witherspoon began to hang out the window and say that she did not believe that I was a real police officer,” wrote Trooper First Class J. Pyland. “I told Mrs. Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet.”
After failing the field sobriety tests, James Toth, 42, was placed under arrest. His charges included failure to maintain the lane and, of course, driving under the influence.
At the point of Toth’s arrest, the report states that Witherspoon got out of the vehicle to ask the trooper what was going on. Trooper First Class J. Pyland told Witherspoon to return to the car, but instead of doing so, she “stated that she was a ‘US Citizen’ and that she was allowed to ‘stand on American ground.’”
The trooper then began to arrest the 37-year-old actress.
As the report states, “Mrs. Witherspoon asked, ‘Do you know my name?’ I answered, ‘No, I don’t need to know your name.’ Then I 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.”
Embarrassed by her actions, Reese Witherspoon released a statement in regards to the arrest:
“Out of respect for the ongoing legal situation, I cannot comment on everything that is being reported right now. But I do want to say I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said. It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that was no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used that night definitely do not reflect who I am. I have nothing but respect for the police and I am very sorry for my behavior.”