On September 5, 2012, Hollywood actress Amanda Bynes was charged with 2 misdemeanor hit and run charges for incidents that occurred on April 10, 2012 and August 4, 2012. Prior to that, she was charged with DUI on June 5th. Based on a series of bizarre Tweets and her alleged driving problems, it appears that the 26 year old actress has been having a difficult year.
If you are a fan of teen romantic comedies or grew up watching Nickelodeon then you have probably heard of Amanda Bynes. Bynes was a well-known child actress during the ’90s. Her first major breakthrough role was as a member of the ensemble cast for the sketch comedy “All That.” She was able to leverage the popularity of that show into her own vehicle called “The Amanda Show.”
As Amanda got older she started acting in more movies that were targeted towards pre-teen and teenage audiences. She starred in “What a Girl Wants” with Academy Award winner Colin Firth. She also starred in “She’s the Man” with Channing Tatum as her love interest. She played a supporting role in a remake of the John Waters’s classic “Hairspray” alongside teen heartthrob Zac Efron. Her last movie role was 2010’s “Easy A” in which she played a religious high school student.
It appears that Amanda has been having some difficulties for awhile now. After some success as a child and teen actress it seems that Amanda’s career has stalled as she has gotten older. Now whenever she is in the news it is because she is involved in car accidents and exhibiting strange behavior.
Amanda Bynes’s legal troubles were initially publicized when she was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence after hitting a police officer’s vehicle on April 6, 2012. She refused to take a breathalyzer or blood alcohol test after the accident occurred. Amanda proclaimed her innocence on Twitter by stating that she doesn’t drink so that DUI charge is false. Amanda officially pled not guilty to the misdemeanor DUI charge filed against her by the Los Angeles district attorney’s office.
On April 10, 2012, she was driving an Enterprise rental car when she allegedly rear-ended a vehicle on the Los Angeles freeway. Initially, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office decided not to pursue the case since there were no witnesses to corroborate what happened.
On August 4, 2012, Amanda was allegedly involved in a minor car accident and fled the scene without exchanging information with the other driver. Drivers involved in an accident are required by law to exchange information before leaving the scene. No injuries were sustained by any of the parties involved and the damage to the other driver’s vehicle totaled about $800.
After the DUI and hit and run incidents, Amanda was looking for help in all the wrong places when she sent a tweet to President Obama. In her tweet she informed the President that she doesn’t drink or hit and run. She requested President Obama fire the cop who arrested her. As expected the reaction to her tweet was perceived as both incredulous and humorous by comedians, news pundits and gossip blogs. Obviously, President Obama has more pressing matters to deal with. Bynes’s time would have been better spent retaining a high quality criminal defense attorney (a DUI defense website is available here).
The Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office reopened the case for the April 10th incident and decided to press charges after the August 4th accident occurred. According to Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the city attorney’s office, Amanda Bynes is facing up to 6 months in jail and a maximum $1,000 fine for each hit and run count that occurred on April 10th and August 4th.
If you are being charged with a hit and run or DUI, it is not something to take lightly. Schedule a free consultation with an experienced criminal defense attorney. A criminal defense attorney will evaluate your case and help you get the best possible outcome.
