LOS ANGELES, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Los Angeles prosecutors Wednesday charged actor Mel Gibson with two misdemeanors and a vehicle code violation in connection with his drunk driving arrest.
Gibson was charged with misdemeanor drunk driving, having an elevated blood-alcohol level and have an open container of liquor in his car, The Los Angeles Times reported.
The charges were filed amid speculation that Gibson, 50, received special treatment due to his celebrity when he was arrested last Friday morning.
The head of the Los Angeles's County Sheriff's Department civilian oversight office said he is concerned about why sheriff's officials tried to conceal Gibson's anti-Semitic statements and erratic behavior from the public, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
But Mike Gennaco, the head of the Office of Independent Review, said after an initial review of the case, he found no laws had been broken and the arrest had been handled within departmental policy.
Sheriff's Department officials did confirm to The Times that a uniformed deputy drove Gibson from the station to an impound lot to retrieve his car after he was released on bail Friday morning. Department spokesman Steve Whitmore said the 10-mile ride in a marked patrol car was not unusual.
"We do this for someone from time to time at all of our stations," he said, adding that it was to avoid a confrontation with the media.
Prosecutors said Gibson is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 28 in Malibu Superior Court, the newspaper said. The Oscar-winning actor-director could face up to six months in county jail if convicted.
