Let’s face it – Kiefer Sutherland has never been the poster boy for clean living. It seems like every so often the National Enquirer or Star magazine are reporting that Kiefer was drunk somewhere – a bar, a party, on the set. And now, he has been arrest on DUI charges after failing a sobriety test. Kiefer was stopped around 1 am in West Los Angeles by officers after he made an illegal U-turn. Sources say he had been seen at the Area nightclub before being stopped. Kiefer had been attending an event at the nightclub to celebrate the new fall shows on Fox, which airs his hit show “24.”
The police would not say what his blood alcohol level was; only that it was over the legal state limit of .08 percent. Kiefer was released on $25,000 bail about three hours after being arrested. His people have declined to comment about the arrest, but he is scheduled to appear in court October 16th.
It may be a problem that Kiefer is still on probation from a 2004 conviction in which he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence. For that offense, he was given sixty months probation, ordered to do 50 hours of community service, and attend an alcohol treatment program. Kiefer completed the community service and the treatment, although it does not appear as though the treatment helped. Kiefer’s drinking problems go back even further though. He was convicted in 1993 of alcohol related reckless driving.
What could Kiefer be facing, seeing as how he was arrested while still on probation? A DUI conviction by itself carries a maximum of one year in jail. However, because he also violated probation, he may be looking at actual jail time. I mean, socialite Paris Hilton had to do 23 days for the same charge.
Kiefer’s show “24,” for which he won an Emmy last year, is set to return to Fox in January.