Sam Shepard Arrested: Actor Busted After Restaurant Security Calls Police On Him

On Tuesday, news that Sam Shepard got arrested in Santa Fe was revealed by Sante Fe Police Lieutenant Andrea Dobyns. The famous actor and playwright was arrested Monday on suspicion of drunk driving after police received a call from a La Choza Restaurant security officer who complained about a “possibly intoxicated driver,” Fox News reports.

According to Dobyns, Shepard told a police officer that he had two tequila drinks and was planning to drive back home.

“Our officer could smell alcohol on his breath, and he had bloodshot, watery eyes.”

It was at about 7:45 p.m. that the restaurant security officer called about a man trying to leave in a pickup truck, but the emergency brake was on. That attracted more attention, obviously. Sam Shepard was arrested after he refused a breath test. He did perform a sobriety test, however.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Shepard hadn’t been released from Santa Fe County Jail. It’s unknown if he has an attorney, but his agent isn’t commenting on the alleged drunken driving incident.

The Inquisitr reported on another incident in which Shepard was arrested in connection to drunk driving back in January of 2009. At the time, he was arrested on charges of speeding and drunk driving in Normal, Illinois. He was going 16 mph over the 30 mph speed limit, police said. His blood-alcohol level was twice over the legal limit. He told authorities that he’d been at a tavern near Bloomington and was on his way to a hotel.

After that arrest, the 71-year-old actor pleaded guilty and was fined $600. He was put on 24 months supervision and mandated an alcohol treatment program and perform 100 hours of community service.

TMZ reports the latest Sam Shepard arrest on aggravated DUI. The celebrity news source adds that Shepard lied to police at first, telling them that he only had two tequilas. When it was abundantly clear to him that he’d had more than that, they “cuffed” him.

In March 2010, Shepard told the Guardian about his previous 2009 DUI arrest.

“And prior to that I was sober for four years and then I relapsed.

It’s a constant struggle. It’s such a knucklehead disease because you refuse to see it. It wasn’t until the 90s that I actually started going to AA and made a real compact with myself to quit. And I did quit for four years. And then I picked it up again. It’s like being a junkie. I think I have that sort of thing in my blood [he also talked about having an alcoholic father], in my psyche. I can become addicted very easily, although the curious thing is that I have two sisters who are not.

So I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a toss of the dice.”

[Photo by Maurizio Lagana / Getty Images]