NASA debunks claims of drunken space flights

Now the space agency says that no astronaut was drunk on shuttle missions! More to come.

Actor Austin Nichols arrested for DUI.

JACKSON, Mich. — Austin Nichols, the title character in HBO's "John From Cincinnati," was arrested early Friday on suspicion of drunken driving.

The 27-year-old actor was stopped by police about 2:40 a.m. after being spotted driving a silver Mercury Mountaineer the wrong way down a one-way street in the city, said Jackson police Lt. John Holda.

This undated file image originally provided by HBO shows Austin Nichols, center,who played the title character plays in a scene from the HBO series, 'John From Cincinnati.' Nichols, who also appeared in the HBO series 'Deadwood,' was arrested early Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, on suspicion of drunken driving, Jackson, Mich.,police said.(AP Photo/HBO, John P. Johnson)

An officer smelled alcohol and, after conducting sobriety tests, took Nichols into custody. A breath test later indicated he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 percent, Holda said.

The legal limit for drivers in Michigan is 0.08 percent.

Nichols, who also appeared in "Deadwood," was held at the Jackson County Jail and released about 8:40 a.m., said Jackson County sheriff's Lt. Carl Carmoney. He wasn't arraigned and was expected to appear in court at a later date.

If convicted of drunken driving, Nichols could face up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine and community service.

A call seeing comment Friday from Nichols' publicist was not immediately returned.

The Jackson Citizen Patriot, which reported the arrest Friday, said Nichols has been living at nearby Clark Lake this summer. Jackson is located about 65 miles west of Detroit.

HBO said earlier this month that "John From Cincinnati," a surfer drama co-created by "Deadwood" executive producer David Milch, will not return for a second season.

Nicole Richie spends 82 minutes in jail for her DUI!

By Bob Tourtellotte
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Nicole Richie surrendered to authorities on Thursday to begin serving a four-day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs, but spent a little more than one hour in jail, an official said.
A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said federal sentencing guidelines dealing with jail overcrowding allowed local officials to reduce the time for Richie and other inmates with similar charges.
Richie, 25, was treated "in the same manner as other inmates with a similar sentence," Deputy Sheriff Maribel Rizo said, reading from a statement.
Richie, the daughter of singer Lionel Richie and a co-star with Paris Hilton on reality TV series "The Simple Life," surrendered to local authorities in the afternoon and was booked, processed and released about one hour and 20 minutes later, Rizo said.
The deputy did not know whether Richie had actually spent any time in a jail cell.
The actress, who is pregnant by her boyfriend, singer Joel Madden of rock band Good Charlotte, was arrested in December 2006 after police spotted her driving the wrong way on a Los Angeles area freeway. She failed a sobriety test and admitted to smoking marijuana and taking the prescription painkiller Vicodin.
Late last month, Richie pleaded guilty, was ordered to spend four days in jail, fined $2,048 and placed on three-years probation.
Richie's plea came roughly one month after Hilton completed her own three-week stint behind bars for violating probation on drunken driving charges.
That case was marked by a media frenzy after Hilton was initially released only three days into her 45-day sentence due to overcrowding issues and concern over her deteriorating medical condition, sheriff's officials said at the time.
Richie surrendered to jail officials on the same day a third troubled Hollywood actress, Lindsay Lohan, pleaded no contest to charges of cocaine possession and drunken driving and was ordered to spend one day in jail.

Lindsay Lohan to spend only ONE day in jail for DUI!

By Sandy Cohen

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday on misdemeanour drunken driving and cocaine charges that calls for her to spend one day in jail, serve 10 days of community service and complete a drug treatment program.
She was also placed on 36 months probation, is required to complete an 18-month alcohol education program, pay hundreds of dollars in fines and must complete a three-day county coroner program in which she'll visit a morgue and talk to victims of drunken drivers.
"It is clear to me that my life has become completely unmanageable because I am addicted to alcohol and drugs," Lohan said in a statement released by publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnik.
She said she did things she was ashamed of. "I broke the law and today I took responsibility by pleading guilty to the charges in my case."
"She's getting what everyone else would get," Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers said after an hour-long hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge H. Chester Horn Jr.'s courtroom. Terms of the plea bargain were worked out in chambers.
If Lohan were to be convicted of another DUI, she would receive a mandatory 120-day jail sentence, Meyers said.
"No matter what I said when I was under the influence on the day I was arrested, I am not blaming anyone else for my conduct other than myself. I thank God I did not injure others. I easily could have," Lohan's statement went on.
Lohan was charged earlier in the day with seven misdemeanours stemming from two drunken-driving arrests in the last four months. More serious felony drug charges were not filed, prosecutors said, because tests showed there wasn't enough cocaine on her to warrant them.
Lawyer Blair Berk entered pleas on Lohan's behalf: she pleaded guilty to two counts of being under the influence of cocaine; no contest to two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 per cent and one count of reckless driving. Two counts of driving under the influence were dropped.
Lohan was arrested on May 26 in Beverly Hills and on July 24 in Santa Monica, Calif. In each incident, the amount of cocaine tested was below the .05 grams required for felony charges, according to the district attorney's office.
Each of Lohan's arrests were followed by trips to rehab.
Lohan's legal problems come on the heels of two other high-profile celebrity DUI cases that resulted in jail time. Paris Hilton served 23 days behind bars after she was found guilty of driving on a suspended licence while on probation for an alcohol-related reckless-driving case. Nicole Richie was ordered to serve four days in jail stemming from a December DUI arrest.
Lohan crashed her Mercedes-Benz into a tree on Sunset Boulevard in May and fled the scene to seek medical treatment. Police tests revealed that a white powder found in Lohan's purse was .04 grams of cocaine.
Lohan checked into the posh Promises rehabilitation facility in Malibu after the incident. She left the facility July 13 after six weeks of treatment. She was photographed wearing an alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet after her release.
Lohan was arrested again on July 24 following a 911 call by Michelle Peck, the mother of Lohan's former personal assistant. Peck told police she was being chased by an SUV. Police later said Lohan was the driver.
Lohan's blood-alcohol level was between 0.12 and 0.13 per cent when police found her, officials said. Police also found a white powder in her pocket that was determined to be .02 grams of cocaine.
She was enrolled in a drug rehab centre in Sundance, Utah, lawyers confirmed in court Thursday.
Lohan started 2007 in rehab at the Wonderland Center in Los Angeles.
Lohan's latest film, "I Know Who Killed Me," opened in July to lacklustre response.
"I very much want to be healthy and gain control of my life and career and have asked for medical help in doing so. I am taking these steps to improve my life," Lohan said in her statement.
"Luckily, I am not alone in my daily struggle and I know that people like me have succeeded. Maybe with time it will become easier. I hope so."

Bill Murray may have been drunk while driving a golf cart!

Actor Bill Murray could face a drunken driving charge after cruising through downtown Stockholm in a golf cart and refusing to take a breath test, citing U.S. law. Stockholm police say he was riding through downtown in such a vehicle. Police officers spotted the 56-year-old actor-comedian early Sunday in the slow-moving vehicle and noticed he smelled of alcohol when they pulled him over, said Detective-Inspector Christer Holmlund of the Stockholm police.

Rapper Method Man hits the schools on antidrug crusade sentence!

Method Man is going back to school. As part of a plea deal reached following a marijuana arrest earlier this year, the hip-hop star was ordered to visit 15 city high schools to warn students about the dangers of drugs.

Toronto Maple Leaf Mark Bell to serve 6 months in jail for DUI!

SAN JOSE, Calif. (CP) - Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mark Bell has pleaded no contest to drunk driving and hit-and-run charges and will serve six months in a Santa Clara County jail, a prosecutor said Wednesday. Bell, who was traded to the Leafs by the San Jose Sharks in June, had faced nearly four years in state prison if convicted of the original charges. He entered the plea Tuesday in Santa Clara County Superior Court, said prosecutor Cindy Seeley Hendrickson.
Bell issued a statement Wednesday, saying he had entered the plea bargain so he could "accept full responsibility for my error in judgment.
"I am deeply sorry for the hurt that I have caused to others and for the way in which my actions reflected upon the San Jose Sharks, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and upon myself.
"I accept my punishment as handed down by the court. I look forward to fulfilling my obligations, and in moving on with my life in a positive manner. I'm glad to be returning home to Canada, and I look forward to playing in Toronto this season."
The drunk driving charge is a felony, and the hit-and-run charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanour as part of the plea agreement, said Bell's defence lawyer, Ken Robinson. A sentencing date has not been set, Robinson said, adding that Bell will serve his sentence during the summer months so it doesn't conflict with the hockey season.
"The Toronto Maple Leafs have been aware of the charges against Mark Bell," Leafs GM John Ferguson said in a statement. "The club has been following the legal proceedings closely since he became a member of our team this past June.
"Mark has acknowledged the error in judgment that he made. He has expressed to the court and to us that he is deeply sorry and that he will accept the punishment resulting from the legal proceedings. Mark has accepted responsibility for his actions, and the Leafs organization will support Mark through this challenging time."
Bell was arrested in September 2006 after his Toyota sedan rear-ended a pickup truck in an early morning accident in Milpitas, Calif., a town in the San Jose foothills.
The 40-year-old driver of the truck received head injuries and cuts. Bell walked a short distance from the scene and was arrested. His blood-alcohol level was higher than 0.15, nearly double the state's legal limit of 0.08, prosecutors said.
At the time of his arrest, Bell had not yet played for the Sharks after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, where he was named Chicago's Man of the Year for his charity work and community service.
He was a disappointment in his only season in San Jose, managing just 11 goals and 10 assists in 71 games. When he was traded this summer, Bell had two years and US$4.5 million remaining on the contract he signed after joining the Sharks.

R&B Artist D'Angelo pleads guilty to DUI!

Associated Press

POWHATAN, Va. - Grammy award-winning R&B singer D’Angelo was fined and received suspended jail sentences Friday on charges stemming from a 2005 single-vehicle accident.
The Richmond native, born Michael E. Archer, pleaded guilty to driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence in Powhatan General District Court.
Judge Paul Cella fined him $1,000, with $500 suspended, sentenced him to nine days in jail, all suspended, and revoked his license for 90 days on the suspended license charge.
Cella also fined him $1,500, with $750 suspended, sentenced him to six months in jail, also suspended, and suspended his license for 12 months on the DUI charge.
A reckless driving charge was dropped.
Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Richard Cox said the county’s case was weakened when the star witness in the case, who was riding with Archer, did not show up in court Friday.
The performer was driving a Hummer in Powhatan County when he was thrown from the vehicle. He suffered bruised ribs and contusions, according to state police.
Following a string of hits in the ’90s, Archer began a series of run-ins with the law.

Garrison to have evaluation in DUI death .

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Lane Garrison, who pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving in a crash that killed a teenage passenger, was ordered Thursday to undergo a 90-day evaluation to help a judge decide his sentence.