By M&C News Jul 20, 2006, 17:29 GMT
The troubled country singer Mindy McCready got one of her legal problems out of the way on Wednesday when she was found not guilty of a DUI charge from a May 2005 arrest. The singer was found guilty of driving with a suspended license. McCready was also able to avoid a contempt of court charge that had been threatened by the judge when the singer arrived 10 minutes late to court on Monday.
The charges are from when McCready (30) was arrested for speeding and failed a sobriety test following a refusal to take a breath test. The arresting officer had determined that McCready could have been under the influence after he smelled alcohol during the initial stop for speeding.
On Monday, Police Officer Kenneth Dixon testified before the court that McCready (who had reportedly on her way home from a nightclub with a friend) was unbalanced when he interviewed her, and that her eyes showed signs of being under the influence. McCready’s defense attorney argued that McCready’s sobriety test performed correctly because she had removed her shoes and couldn’t walk due to the length of her pants. He also explained that McCready was driving because the friend she was with was too intoxicated to drive.
The singer has been involved in several run-ins with the law lately and has also faced personal problems. She reportedly attempted suicide twice in 2005, and is currently involved in a $3 million lawsuit against her former boyfriend and country singer Billy McKnight. Mc Knight recently pled guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 30 days jail. The assault took place two days after McCready’s arrest for drunk driving.
McCready is still facing another court date later this year to determine if the singer has broke the conditions of her probation when she left the state of Tennessee without permission. She has been on probation since August, 2004, following a guilty plea for using a fake prescription to buy the drug OxyContin.
The singer found success in country music with the 1996 release of her debut album “Ten Thousand Angels” which reached certified gold thanks to the success of its two singles “Guys Do It All The Time” and “Ten Thousand Angels.”
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