Legal issues
Between 2002 and 2008, Rodriguez has had a number of legal issues, mostly relating to charges of
driving under the influence of alcohol.
In March 2002, Rodriguez was arrested for
assault after getting into a fight with her roommate.
[26] The charges were later dropped after the roommate declined to press the allegations in court.
[27]
In November 2003, Rodriguez went to court to face eight
misdemeanor charges based on two driving incidents including a
hit and run and
DUI.
[28] In June 2004, Rodriguez pleaded
no contest in
Los Angeles to three of the charges: hit and run,
drunken driving, and driving with a suspended license.
[29] She went to jail for 48 hours, performed
community service at the morgues of two New York hospitals, completed a three-month alcohol program, and was placed on
probation for three years.
[30]
In 2005, while filming
Lost in
Hawaii, Rodriguez was pulled over by
Honolulu police multiple times; she was cited for driving at 83 mph (134 km/h) in a 55 mph (89 km/h) zone on
Oahu on November 1, and was fined $357, paid a $300 fine for driving 90 mph (140 km/h) in a 35 mph (56 km/h) zone on October 20, was fined $197 for going 80 mph (130 km/h) in a 50 mph (80 km/h) zone on August 24.
[31] On December 1, 2005, Rodriguez and her
Lost co-star
Cynthia Watros were pulled over (separately) and arrested for driving under the influence.
[32] Rodriguez pleaded not guilty when arraigned,
[33] but on the day of her trial in April 2006, she pleaded guilty to one charge of driving under the influence. She chose to pay a $500 fine and spend five days in jail instead of doing 240 hours of community service.
[29] Rodriguez cited her high doses of allergy-relieving steroids as part of the reason for her erratic behavior.
[34] Because the Kailua incident was a violation of her Los Angeles probation, Rodriguez was sentenced to 60 days in jail, a 30 day alcohol rehabilitation program and another 30 days of community service, including work for
Mothers Against Drunk Driving, by a judge in Los Angeles on May 1, 2006.
[35] Because of overcrowding, she was released from jail on the same day she entered. She wrote about the experience on her blog.
[36]
In September 2007 however, Rodriguez allegedly violated her probation by not completing her community service and not following an alcohol education program. It was reported that Rodriguez originally submitted a document stating she performed community service on September 5, 2006, but it was later confirmed she was actually in New York City that day. Her lawyer claimed it was a clerical error.
[37] On October 10, 2007, following a hearing, she was sentenced to 180 days jail time after agreeing to admit to violating her probation. She was expected to spend the full 180-day term in jail, as she had been deemed ineligible for work furloughs and house arrest.
[38] However, after turning herself in to begin the jail term at the Century Regional Detention Facility located in
Lynwood, California on December 23, 2007,
[39] Rodriguez was released 18 days later on January 9, 2008 due to overcrowding.
[40]