In case you haven't heard, actress Amanda Bynes got popped for a DUI late last week. And while it's not at all surprising to hear of a young, beautiful Hollywood actress having a brush with the law (I'm looking at you, Lindsay Lohan), it's what's happened since Bynes' arrest that interests and infuriates me.
Amanda Bynes' father is speaking out now, claiming that there's no way his daughter got a DUI because she wasn't drunk -- and doesn't drink. Wait, what? Time to sort things out, don't you think?
Here's the gist of what happened with Amanda Bynes' arrest: On Friday, April 6, Bynes was taken into custody after allegedly having a "fender-bender" with a cop car in Hollywood. No one was injured (fortunately), but police took Bynes into custody and news broke that she'd been arrested on suspicion of DUI.
According to TMZ, Amanda Bynes is a party girl right now, having hit up "several clubs over the last few weeks." That, in itself, doesn't necessarily mean she's drinking, right? But then TMZ also states that photogs "thought she appeared to be extremely intoxicated" as she left Hollywood's swanky Greystone Manor Supperclub on St. Patrick's Day. Uh oh. Not that I think the TMZ paps are all that credible -- but still, it is what it is...
Anyway, that brings me to the latest twist in this story: Amanda Bynes' dad tells People magazine that his daughter does not drink. Rick Bynes said Amanda "was not drunk" when she was arrested, adding:
I was told that she blew a zero on the Breathalyzer. She didn't have a single drink that night. My daughter doesn't drink.
But there's more: Rick Bynes maintains that Amanda was arrested because "she was upset and very emotional."
So there you go. Is this a father in complete and utter denial, or is there some truth to what he's saying? One would think that someone would be "upset and emotional" after getting arrested for any reason. People quotes the official West Hollywood Sheriff's Station website as saying that "if the offense is alcohol or drug related, the suspect will stay at the sheriff's station until he or she can safely care for himself or herself."
Now, hang on a second: The cops kept Amanda Bynes locked up overnight. Do they do this for every person who seems overly emotional and/or upset? Not likely. Jails are overcrowded enough. Sadly, I suspect Mr. Bynes isn't seeing the real truth here.