Stockard Channing Arrested For DUI

Emmy-winning actress Stockard Channing was arrested for investigation of drunken driving after she tried to drive around a roadblock on the Hollywood Freeway, authorities said Tuesday.

Channing, 60, who won an Emmy for her role as first lady on NBC's "The West Wing," was stopped by California Highway Patrol officers on Dec. 14. She was jailed nearly three hours before being released without bail, the Sheriff's Department said.

Officer Alex Delgadillo, a CHP spokesman, said the freeway's northbound lanes had been shut down that night so a tow truck could remove a disabled tractor-trailer.

Officers then saw Channing's car passing traffic on the right shoulder of the freeway, Delgadillo said.

Officers who pulled the car over smelled alcohol and administered a field sobriety test. Delgadillo said Channing's blood-alcohol levels were 0.12 and 0.13. The legal limit in California is 0.08.

Two misdemeanor counts of driving while under the influence of alcohol were filed Monday, said city attorney spokesman Frank Mateljan.

Channing's manager, Ernest Johns, didn't immediately return a phone call Tuesday seeking comment.

The actress was scheduled to appear for arraignment Feb. 9.

The maximum penalty for conviction is six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each charge, Mateljan said.