I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear Haley Joel Osment’s name I automatically think of the chubby-cheeked little boy with saucer eyes who starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Sixth Sense.” I always thought he was so cute (even though the movie scared the heck out of me) and what’s more, he seemed so polite, well spoken, and just very “together.” By all appearances he seemed destined to be one of the rare child actors who would escape the pitfalls of celebrity. Wrong.
According to an L.A. newspaper, Osment is currently being charged with three misdemeanors including driving under the influence. In a police report obtained by the newspaper the 18-year-old actor (I couldn’t believe he was 18—I feel so old) crashed his 1995 Saturn station wagon into the brick base of a mailbox near a L.A. home last month. Osment’s car flipped over and he was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a broken rib and an injured shoulder.
Just yesterday the L.A. district attorney revealed that Osment’s blood-alcohol content in the July 20 incident was double the legal limit (at 0.16). In addition, Osment was also charged for possession of marijuana while driving and being under the age of 21 and driving with a .05 percent blood alcohol content.
If convicted, Osment faces up to six months in county jail. However, according to the district attorney’s office since Osment is a first-time offender it is likely he will be sentenced to probation and alcohol treatment.
I can’t believe that “cute little boy” was:
1. Drinking alcohol
2. Driving under the influence
3. Had marijuana
4. Driving a 1995 Saturn station wagon
Apparently, you can’t judge a book by its cover… and I suppose it is also not a good idea to pass judgment on an individual until you hear all the facts. I will be curious to see if he decides to plead not guilty. Perhaps, there is more to the story than any of us know. Regardless, the charges have changed the way I perceive the actor. I certainly won’t be thinking “chubby-cheeked, saucer-eyed BOY” the next time I hear the name Haley Joel Osment.