ATLANTA — Reese Witherspoon is “deeply embarrassed” about what she said to police officers after she and her husband were arrested during a traffic stop in Atlanta.
The Oscar-winning actress released a statement late Sunday apologizing for her behavior to police that began when her husband, Hollywood agent Jim Toth, was arrested early Friday for driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Do you know my name?” Witherspoon is quoted as saying in a state trooper’s report. She also said: “You’re about to find out who I am” and “You’re about to be on national news,” according to the report.
“I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said,” Witherspoon said. “It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that is 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’m very sorry for my behavior.”
Witherspoon said she can’t comment further “out of respect” for the pending case, and her publicist, Meredith O’Sullivan Wasson, offered no other details.
The 37-year-old actress was arrested on a municipal charge of disorderly conduct early Friday, after a state trooper said she wouldn’t stay in the car while Toth was given a field sobriety test.
She was released from jail after the Friday morning arrest and was in New York on Sunday night for the premiere of her new film, “Mud.” She posed for cameras on the red carpet but did not stop to talk to reporters.
The trooper noticed the car driven by her husband wasn’t staying in its lane early Friday morning, so he initiated a traffic stop. He reported that Toth had droopy eyelids, watery, bloodshot eyes, and his breath smelled strongly of alcohol.
Toth told the trooper he’d had a drink, which Witherspoon said was consumed at a restaurant two hours before the traffic stop, the trooper writes.
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