Thursday, April 27, 2006; Posted: 1:53 a.m. EDT (05:53 GMT)
HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) -- "Lost" star Michelle Rodriguez has surrendered to begin a five-day jail sentence for drunken driving.
Rodriguez, who portrays police officer Ana Lucia, opted for jail time and a $500 fine rather than 240 hours of community service.
"I kind of have to get back to my life, go back to making some money," Rodriguez said outside the courtroom after pleading guilty to driving under the influence. "It kind of gave me a hard hit. ... I'm human."
The 27-year-old Rodriguez and cast member Cynthia Watros were both charged with drunken driving after they were pulled over December 1 in separate cars within 15 minutes of each other.
On Tuesday, the judge gave Rodriguez the option of jail time or community service. Carrying three books and dressed casually in a tank top and sweats, she surrendered to authorities at the Kaneohe District Court later in the day.
Choosing jail over community service was a "personal choice," said her attorney, Steve Barta.
"I would suspect that because she has a hard time even going out for a meal without being intruded upon for an autograph or photograph, it's really difficult for her to do community service," he said.
Watros, who plays Libby on the ABC castaway drama, pleaded guilty to drunken driving in January and was fined $312, ordered to undergo an alcohol assessment and 14 hours of counseling. She also had her license suspended for 90 days.
Both Rodriguez and Watros were spotted weaving on a road in Kailua, on the island of Oahu, where "Lost" is filmed. Both failed field sobriety tests.
Rodriguez recorded a blood-alcohol level of 0.145 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of 0.08. Watros had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10.
Soon after, Rodriguez spent two weeks in a rehab clinic, her lawyer said. "She did recognize there was an issue to be dealt with. She, on her own, took care of it," he said.
In 2004, Rodriguez pleaded no contest in Los Angeles to three traffic violations, including drunken driving. She completed a three-month alcohol program and is serving a three-year probation term.
ABC spokesman Jeff Fordis said there would be no disruptions for "Lost." The season finale is being filmed this week and production is scheduled to be completed by May 5.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
I'm sorry... but, is it me, or do drunk drivers get off WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too easy in this country?
Five days in jail? A tiny fine? This is an absolute JOKE!!!
Drunk drivers kill people...
We had a girl, at church, yesterday, share about losing a 16 year old friend, because a drunk driver hit her, this past week. Guess what happened to the driver of the vehicle that was drunk? He got a f'n broken leg. The INNOCENT 16 year old LOST HER LIFE!
I'm so tired of crimal punishment being a slap on the wrist.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
"oh, you have to shoot a tv show? ok, we'll try to fit a little jail time into your schedule, and a itty bitty fine to teach you a lesson."
sorry, i have no sympathy whatsoever for drunk drivers. it really isn't that hard to call a friend or a taxi instead of getting behind the wheel. at my college we have dds (designated driver service) to keep people from driving drunk.
DON'T DRIVE WHILE INTOXICATED!!
...whew.
used to be one of the rotten ones and he liked you for that
now you're all gone got your makeup on and you're not coming back
I, too, am sick and tired of celebrities getting a slap on the wrist, and getting to "work around their schedule" for whatever they are currently working on. Guess that they should have thought about committing a crime when they did. There is no excuse... and to give one, well, that's just pathetic.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
Lawless said this in post #4 : I, too, am sick and tired of celebrities getting a slap on the wrist, and getting to "work around their schedule"
Well, after all her adoptive father is Carlos Santana, as if that matters
She's been caught driving drunk at least three times in her life and all of those times she's been bailed out by Carlos. Its just not fair that celebrities get that slap on the wrist.
You must turn on, tune in and drop out.
Timothy Leary
I reserve the right to be ignorant. That's the Western way of life. The Spy who came in from the cold
Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates, never know what you're gonna get.
I didn't know that... and see, it just goes to show, if you are a celeb, or you have big time money, you can get away with a lot of things that us lower-middle class just can't.
:::>^..^<::: ~*~The Journey is more important than the end or the start~*~ :::>^..^<:::
05-01-2006 02:22 PM
