Crime & Safety

Christina Aguilera Arrested for Public Intoxication

In nearby West Hollywood, the singer is arrested with her boyfriend on alcohol-related charges.

Pop singer Christina Aguilera was arrested in West Hollywood early Tuesday on suspicion of public intoxication when she was found "incapacitated'' in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her boyfriend, who was arrested for alleged drunk driving.

Matthew Rutler, 25, was stopped by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies around 2:45 a.m. near Sunset Boulevard and Clark Street in West Hollywood, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Deputies saw Rutler "driving erratically'' in his Mustang and pulled him over, Whitmore said. He was booked on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol at the West Hollywood police station with a reported .09 percent blood-alcohol level. The legal California limit is .08 percent.

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Aguilera, 30, was also arrested and taken to the West Hollywood police station where she was booked at about 3:30 a.m. on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. She was released at about 7:30 a.m. on $250 bail when a friend picked her up, Whitmore said.

The singer will not have to make a court appearance and the sheriff's department has no intention of pursuing charges against her, according to Whitmore, who said Aguilera was arrested under a law covering "public welfare, public safety.''

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"She was not capable of taking care of herself. She was incapacitated,'' Whitmore said. "She was cooperative. She was not belligerent in any way whatsoever. She was just intoxicated."

Whitmore said the arrest would be on Aguilera's record, but the record would also show that "there was never the intent to prosecute.''

"As she got better, she said, 'I would just like to leave,'" Whitmore said. "So, that's what happened.''

Rutler has been charged with a misdemeanor DUI. He was released from the police station after posting $5,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court May 2, according to media reports.

This report was compiled with information from City News Service.


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