Laguna Beach Bunny Cops to DUI
This year in the O.C., Independence Day gave way to Make Amends Day.
Former Laguna Beach fixture Jessica Smith pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge Thursday, stemming from her booze-fueled vehicular smash-up earlier this year, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
The 19-year-old Smith, a first-time offender, was sentenced to three years informal probation and ordered to perform 80 hours of community service and pay $1,300 in fines, penalties and fees.
Smith was booked on suspicion of felony driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs after her 1999 Volkswagen Beetle rear-ended a 2003 Acura MDX while traveling northbound on the Interstate 5 freeway at about 11:50 p.m. on Mar. 27, per the California Highway Patrol's accident report. The reality-TV star was going close to 70 miles per hour at the time of the crash, police said.
The driver of the Acura, 41-year-old Roy Hernandez, and Smith's passenger, 20-year-old Lindsay Cooper, suffered minor injuries, while Smith apparently escaped unscathed.
Smith opted to spend the night in jail before being arraigned, rather than fork over $100,000 for bail.
According to the D.A.'s Office, Smith was charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony based on the extent of the injuries.
Just how much alcohol was in Smith's system at the time was not released, but the arresting officer said at the time that the speed she was traveling and the rain-slicked roadways also played a part in the accident. It's illegal to drive in California with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08 percent.
Life hasn't been a day at the Beach for some of the MTV show's most prominent players. Jason Wahler, a former paramour of Smith's, has had multiple booze-fueled run-ins with the law over the past year. In May, he avoided a 60-day jail sentence on a misdemeanor battery charge by checking into rehab.
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