Christina Aguilera spent yesterday morning sobering up in a West Hollywood police station. The pop star was arrested for public intoxication after officers pulled over a car driven by her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, charging him with driving under the influence. The Beautiful singer was later released, and police say they have "no desire to prosecute".
"She was not belligerent in any way," a spokesman for the LA County sheriff's office told the New York Post. When police stopped the car around 2:45 am, Aguilera was a "public safety issue", Steve Whitmore explained. "When she got out of the car, she couldn't stand ... She didn't know where she was and she didn't know her own address." Given her condition, the arrest was routine: "She was not capable of taking care of herself." According to the booking sheet obtained by TMZ, Aguilera was listed at 5'2" and 100lbs (45kg).
Though Aguilera will not be pursued for a criminal offence, Rutler faces a drink-driving charge. The 25-year-old's breathalyser reading was reportedly .09, just above the legal limit of .08. He has been released on $5,000 (£3,000) bail.
The last six months have not been easy for Aguilera: her last album, Bionic, was a flop, while her feature film debut, Burlesque, fared no better. In October, the singer filed to end her five-year marriage to music executive Jordan Bratman, and there have since been reports of public drunkenness. Earlier this month, before a TV audience of 100 million, Aguilera forgot the words to the US national anthem. A few days later, she took a tumble onstage at the Grammy awards. "She's a total mess," a friend told Us Weekly. "Her drinking is out of control."
