‘I had one drink too many’
Reese Witherspoon is "embarrassed" by the behaviour that led to her arrest on Friday.
The actress – who was arrested for disorderly conduct on Friday (19 April) after getting into a verbal altercation with a police officer after her husband, Jim Toth, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence – admitted she was "disrespectful" to the arresting officer and said that the incident escalated because she was "frightened".
In a statement acquired by TMZ, she said: "Out of respect for the ongoing legal situation, I cannot comment on everything that is being reported right now. But I do want to say I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said.
"It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that was no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. I have nothing but respect for the police and I am very sorry for my behavior."
The 37-year-old actress – who is in Atlanta filming new movie The Good Lie – and her husband were pulled over by the officer in the early hours of Friday morning on suspicion of drunken driving, and when the police official gave Toth (42) a breathalyser, Witherspoon reportedly became agitated and began complaining.
The officer said in a police report: "Mrs Witherspoon began to hang out the window and say that she did not believe that I was a real police officer. I told Mrs Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet.
"Mrs Witherspoon asked, ‘Do you know my name?’ I answered, ‘No, I don’t need to know your name.’ I then added, ‘Right now.’ Mrs Witherspoon stated, ‘You’re about to find out who I am’."
The couple were released on bond shortly after their arrest and a court appearance will take place at Atlanta Municipal Court today (22 April).
Witherspoon married Jim in March 2011 after a year of dating. The couple have a seven-month-old son, Tennessee, while the actress also has daughter Ava (13) and son Deacon (10) with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.
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