Matthew McConaughey: Dazed and Arrested

EDtv star charged with resisting arrest

By Julie Keller Oct 25, 1999 11:35 PMTags
Matthew McConaughey memorably played a stoner in 1993's Dazed and Confused. Turns out he might not have been acting.

The 29-year-old star was arrested today for resisting arrest after police discovered marijuana in his Austin, Texas, home. McConaughey spent nine hours in Travis County Jail before being released on $1,000 bond.

Police went to the actor's house around 3 a.m. after a neighbor complained of loud music. According to the police report, an officer looked in a window, saw the actor dancing around naked and playing bongo drums, while another man clapped. The cop went to the door, smelled pot and decided to search the place. He found a bowl filled with marijuana stems and seeds, a bong and a pipe. The police report says both men "were very intoxicated," with "glassy and very bloodshot eyes."

The officer told McConaughey to put on some pants; that's when the actor allegedly tried to shove the cop, but he grabbed McConaughey's arm, twisted it around his back and handcuffed him. The unnamed bystander was cuffed, but not arrested.

Police originally booked the actor on drug possession charges, as well as "resisting transportation" (the actor had to be forced into the squad car) to the local lockup.

"I don't want to rent a place there, but it was a nice stay for a night," McConaughey said of the jailhouse.

The local prosecutor later said he was dropping the drug charges due to lack of evidence. The resisting transport misdemeanor carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

McConaughey's lawyer is claiming police illegally entered the actor's house without a search warrant. He also alleges police used excessive force to arrest McConaughey.

The Texas native became famous virtually overnight after a smoking performance with Sandra Bullock in 1997's A Time to Kill. Most recently, he starred in EDtv with outspoken hemp booster Woody Harrelson.