Gilligan's Mary Ann Goes to Pot

Actress Dawn Wells sentenced to probation following arrest for marijuana possession

By Sarah Hall Mar 11, 2008 10:02 PMTags

Mary Ann is in trouble, thanks to Mary Jane.

Gilligan's Island star Dawn Wells has been sentenced to six months' unsupervised probation after she was arrested last October in Driggs, Idaho, for having marijuana in her car.  

The former actress, 69, pleaded guilty Feb. 29 to one count of reckless driving. As part of her plea bargain, additional misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance were dropped.

In addition to the probation, she was sentenced to five days in jail and fined $410.50.

Wells' troubles began as she made her way her home from a surprise birthday party thrown for her by friends on Oct. 18. She was stopped by a cop who allegedly witnessed her car swerving and speeding up and slowing down repeatedly.

After pulling Wells over, Teton County Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez claimed he caught the distinctive odor of pot wafting from her car.

When he questioned her about the aroma, Wells reportedly replied that she had picked up three hitchhikers, but dropped them back off after they started smoking marijuana.

A search of her car revealed four half-smoked joints, plus two small cases used to store marijuana, according to the police report.

After Wells failed a field sobriety test, she was cuffed and taken to the sheriff's office. She later posted $4,000 bond and was released.

A trial on the matter was scheduled to begin Thursday but was canceled following Wells' guilty plea.

Wells' Idaho-based attorney, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of hers voluntarily testified that he left a small amount of marijuana in the car after borrowing it earlier that day and that Wells was unaware of it.

He also said that several witnesses were willing to testify that Wells had consumed very little alcohol at her party and was not drunk when she left.

It's not the first time Wells has been linked to a pot bust.

In 1998, her name came up after her Gilligan's Island costar Bob Denver was arrested for marijuana possession in West Virginia, but it was unclear what role she was believed to have played in the situation.

Her spokesman denied that Wells had any connection with Denver's arrest.

"All I know is she had no involvement," the rep said at the time.