DUI Charge for Ellen Crasher
She may have just been driving home, but she sure took the long way to get there.
The woman involved in a chain-reaction collision that engulfed Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi a couple of weeks ago was charged Tuesday with a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence, Los Angeles City Attorney's Office spokesman Nick Velasquez told E! Online.
Jeanne Werber, 52, had denied to TMZ.com that she had been drinking when she rear-ended a 2002 Buick Le Sabre with her 2002 Porsche Carrera Sept. 1 in West Hollywood. The Buick, driven by X17 paparazzo Josh King, then crashed into DeGeneres' 2006 Porsche Carrera. Both the talk show host's and Werber's car sustained minor damage while, according to police, the Buick took the brunt of the smash-up.
Werber was arrested at the scene, after which she refused to take a chemical test. She was released from custody shortly past midnight after posting a $100,000 bond.
DeGeneres and de Rossi complained of what turned out to be some minor neck and back pain but refused medical treatment. DeGeneres managed to be in fine form for the fourth-season premiere of The Ellen DeGeneres Show Sept. 4, which featured a performance by Justin Timberlake in New York's Central Park.
Werber's arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 4. The self-proclaimed "normal wife" told TMZ that she had no idea that photographers were riding in the car ahead of her that day or that there were celebrities in the vehicle in front of them.
"I went to the grocery store and was going home," Werber said.
She has also been charged with failing to provide proof of insurance, an infraction of the vehicle code that carries a $100 fine. On the DUI charge, Werber is facing a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and six months in jail. According to the City Attorney's Office, the fact that she failed to complete a chemical test at the scene could be an aggravating circumstance.
Meanwhile, DeGeneres also has an impending date, albeit one with a little gold man. Last week the Emmy winner was chosen to host next year's Academy Awards ceremony.
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