Randy Quaid Freed on Bail After Arrest

Actor Was Released After He and His Wife Were Arrested for Allegedly Skipping Out on a $10,000 Hotel Bill

(AP)  Randy Quaid was given a ride from a small West Texas jail to get bail money from a bank after the actor and his wife were arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill, according to the sheriff who drove him.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, each posted $20,000 Thursday night after spending several hours in the jail in Marfa, Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told The Associated Press.

Dominguez said he drove the actor to a bank to obtain the bail money. Quaid remained in his custody during the trip but was not handcuffed. The sheriff said the actor received no special treatment.

"I like to help everybody out," Dominguez said. "It's a small town."

A felony warrant for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy was issued out of Santa Barbara, Calif., for the couple after authorities received a complaint in early September that they had not paid a bill of more than $10,000 due to a local hotel, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

The warrant was issued after sheriff's detectives filed a case with the district attorney. Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokesman Drew Sugars said Thursday that detectives had not yet spoken with the actor and the department said it would not immediately release further details.

A message left for Randy Quaid's commercial agent, Steven Arcieri, was not immediately returned.

The Quaids were arrested Thursday afternoon after a deputy spotted the couple driving in Marfa, where they had been staying at a hotel, Dominguez said.

Evi Quad "resisted a little bit; it wasn't too much," the sheriff said. "She calmed down quickly."

Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years"; but he's perhaps best known for his roles in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" movies, "Independence Day" and "Kingpin."

He also played a hard-nosed sheep rancher in "Brokeback Mountain," then sued Focus Features and the film's producers in 2006, claiming he was compelled to work cheaply when told the film - which earned $82 million at the domestic box office - had no prospects of making money.

A native Texan, he is the older brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid.

Marfa, a remote West Texas town, is no stranger to Hollywood attention.

More than 50 years ago, filmmaker George Stevens settled on the area for his epic Texas oil tale "Giant," which starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. (Stevens won a best director Oscar for "Giant" in 1957, the only win of that film's 10 nominations).

More recently, "There Will be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" were filmed in the desolate town of 2,100, founded as a railroad stop in 1883.

[FernandoZ098]

I am sure many have heard about the Randy Quaid arrest. The Randy Quaid arrest is sort of?troubling, in that he's a veteran actor with a long distinguished career, and now Randy Quaid and his wife Evi Quaid are both facing possible prison terms over skipping out of a hotel bill. The Randy Quaid mug shot revealed a significant amount of beard growth. He posted bail for the both of them ? which amounted to four times the hotel bill. Presented with those facts from the <a rev="vote for" title="Randy Quaid Arrest | Wait! You Forgot to Tip the Bellhop!" href="http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/09/25/randy-quaid-mugshot-arrest/ ">Randy Quaid arrest</a> ? it's not like he needed a payday loans direct lender, why didn't he just pay his tab?

[credibility2]

The Quaids are behaving like any celebrity dimwit behaves. They're living the American dream that involves living beyond their means while their stardom fades and refusing to accept reality. I'd imagine they also don't pay any of their other financial obligations on time or try to get out of paying them. What they did was stealing. I hope no hotel or resort will ever accept either of them as guests unless they pay in advance with cash only. Smarmy low-lifes.

[stn_sage]

This is the kind of behavior that gives all celebrities a 'black eye'!

In this case, the Quaids believe they have a 'special right' to not have to pay their bills---when they are totally capable of doing so!

It might have been better if a local judge had additionally sentenced them to 30 days in the local jail---in order to teach them a lesson!

[Flachickasaw]

Wonder if they paid the bill at the hotel in Marfa?....

[jxknowles]

I love this story. Only thing missing is Clark, Ellen and the Griswold kids in the the Wagon Queen Family Truckster on their way to WallyWorld.