"Lost" Stars Arraigned for DUIs
Forget the Others, the numbers and the hatch--a couple of Lost stars had more pressing issues to deal with Thursday.
Michelle Rodriguez, who plays the hot-headed ex-cop Ana-Lucia on the ABC drama, and Cynthia Watros, who plays the psychiatrist Libby, were arraigned in Hawaii's Kaneohe District Court on charges of drunken driving.
The actresses were pulled over separately within 15 minutes of each other in the wee hours of Dec. 1. Cops spotted the women driving erratically on the Pali Highway, the road connecting the cities of Kailua and Honolulu on the island of Oahu. Both Watros, 37, and Rodriguez, 27, flubbed field sobriety tests, police said, and were released on $500 bail.
Neither actress was in court for Thursday's proceedings. They were represented by their respective lawyers
Watros' attorney, Lanson Kupau, said the actress was in California with her family for the holidays. Watros is due back in court on Jan. 12, when she will plead guilty and take "full responsibility," Kupau said.
"She made a mistake. She's very remorseful, and she wants to take responsibility for her actions," Kupau said in an interview with the Associated Press.
She realizes, understands and appreciates the seriousness of the charges," Kupau said. "We will cooperate and she will take responsibility."
Rodriguez, whose post-arrest theatrics rivaled her best onscreen work ("I don't f--king belong here! Why don't you just put a gun to my head and shoot me! You've already taken my freedom! You might as well take my life too," she was quoted in the police report), is a different story. Her lawyer, Steve Barta, entered a not guilty plea and her trial was set for March 30.
The actress was also charged with a second count of driving under the influence because she is on probation for three driving-related violations in California.
"In the state of Hawaii, we can charge it as a second offense because any offenses that occur in other jurisdictions in the United States also qualify," city deputy prosecutor Sean Sanada said.
"We're treating them just as we would treat any other citizen or any member of the public."
Rodriguez pleaded no contest last year to three misdemeanors--a hit and run, driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence--stemming from two separate incidents that occurred in Los Angeles back in 2003.
She was sentenced to 48 hours in jail, community service and treatment in a 30-day alcohol program, as well as three years of probation.
Last week, prosecutors in California filed a motion in Los Angeles Superior Court to revoke Rodriguez's probation because of her drunk driving arrest in Hawaii. A hearing in the matter is scheduled for Jan. 24.
Rodriguez, whose movie credits include Girlfight, Blue Crush and, aptly, The Fast and the Furious, hasn't exactly endeared herself to Hawaii's finest after joining Lost this season.
Earlier this month, the actress made good on several driving-related fines racked up since shooting began in the summer. Rodriguez forked over a $357 fine for driving 83 mph in a 55 mph zone in Oahu on Nov. 1 and a $300 fine for going 90 mph in a 35 mph zone on Oct. 20; she had previously paid $197 for going 80 mph in a 50 mph zone on Aug. 24.
Aside from court calendars, Lost fanatics have another date to look forward to: After more than a month of reruns, the Emmy-winning ABC drama returns with a new episode Jan. 11.
