Jonathan Taylor Thomas, best known for playing Randy Taylor on the 1990s sitcom “Home Improvement,” was arrested early Monday during a traffic stop in Westlake Village, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Mr. Thomas, 45, was a passenger — not the driver — in a vehicle that deputies pulled over on suspicion of DUI around 12:30 a.m. near Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road.
During the stop, Mr. Thomas got out of the car despite deputies’ instructions to stay inside, TMZ first reported, citing law enforcement sources who described the actor as uncooperative.
In a statement to People magazine, law enforcement said deputies told Mr. Thomas to sit back down in the vehicle but that he “failed to follow orders” and obstructed the investigation. He was arrested on suspicion of obstruction and separately arrested on suspicion of public intoxication, according to the statement.
Jail records show Mr. Thomas was booked on suspicion of felony obstruction and resisting an executive officer — the formal booking offense — according to the sheriff’s department. The public intoxication allegation was cited separately in the arrest but was not the charge under which he was booked. He was booked at 1:50 a.m. Monday at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and released roughly 34 hours later. The driver of the vehicle was separately arrested on suspicion of DUI.
The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has not filed charges against Mr. Thomas, though prosecutors could still review the case.
Mr. Thomas rose to fame as a child actor, appearing as the voice of young Simba in Disney’s “The Lion King” and in films including “Tom and Huck” and “The Adventures of Pinocchio,” before stepping largely out of the public eye. He has occasionally reunited with his “Home Improvement” castmates in recent years, including former co-star Patricia Richardson.
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