Mischa Barton was arrested Thursday morning for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol and possessing marijuana after sheriff’s deputies saw her car straddling two lanes of traffic.
The 21-year-old actress, who starred on Fox’s teen drama “The O.C.,” was driving on La Cienega Boulevard in West Hollywood when she was stopped at about 2:45 a.m., authorities said.
Deputies saw her vehicle straddling the lanes and failing to signal for a turn, according to a sheriff’s press statement.
“During Ms. Barton’s detention, it was determined that she was an unlicensed driver and was driving while under the influence of an alcoholic beverage,” the statement said.
Barton was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, possessing a controlled substance and possessing marijuana, according to a statement from sheriff’s Sgt. John Hocking.
She spent about seven hours in the West Hollywood jail before being released on $10,000 bail. A court hearing was scheduled for Feb. 28.
Calls to her manager and publicist weren’t immediately returned.
Barton played Marissa Cooper on “The O.C.” from 2003 to 2006, when her character died in a car crash. The show was about the intrigues surrounding a group of young people living in an upscale coastal community in Orange County, Calif.
The English-born actress made her movie debut in the Sundance Film Festival favorite “Lawn Dogs” in 1997 and also has appeared in such films as “The Sixth Sense” and “Notting Hill.”
In May, the actress was hospitalized for two hours after an antibiotic she was taking interacted badly with alcohol.
Her arrest was first reported by the Hollyscoop.com Web site.