Oscar-nominated actor and Pulitzer-winning playwright Sam Shepard was arrested for aggravated DUI outside a Santa Fe, N.M. restaurant Monday night.
Known for roles in The Right Stuff, The Pelican Brief, Steel Magnolias and more recently as Beverly Weston from August: Osage County, the 71-year-old talent was hauled away after police were called by a security guard to check on an obviously impaired patron who was attempting to leave La Choza Restaurant in a blue Toyota Tacoma pick-up truck.
The problem: the emergency break was still engaged, and the driver could not move.
TMZ reports while Shepard never got far, once pulled over admitted to Santa Fe police officers he had consumed alcohol, but only two shots of tequila.
Santa Fe Police Department spokeswoman Lt. Andrea Dobyns confirmed the identity of the driver to be Shepard, and stated the Bloodline co-star refused a Breathalyzer test, which automatically elevated the case against him from D.W.I. to aggravated D.U.I., according to the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Shepard’s mug shot:
The paper reports Shepard was arrested in January 2009 for D.U.I.as well as two other driving infractionsin his home state of Illinois, and his blood-alcohol level was reported in that case to be twice the legal limit.
Shepard pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to complete an alcohol treatment program and 100 hours of community service.
Known for appearing in a large number of films, Sam also won a 1979 Pulitzer Prize for the drama Buried Child, and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Chuck Yeager in 1983’s The Right Stuff.
According to his official biography, Sam’s father, also named Sam Shepard, was an alcoholic, and his dysfunctional ways heavily influenced his son’s work, which includes his writing.