Woman Who Crashed Into Ellen Charged With DUI
Jeanne Werber, the woman driving the car that crashed into a car being driven by the paparazzi -- that then crashed into Ellen DeGeneres -- has today been charged with DUI, TMZ has learned exclusively.
The City Attorney of Los Angeles charged Werber, 52, with two misdemeanors: driving under the influence and failure to show proof of insurance. An arraignment date has been set for October 4.
The accident occurred on September 1, just before 4 p.m. on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles. Paparazzi from the X17 photo agency were following the 2006 Porsche Carrera in which DeGeneres and girlfriend Portia de Rossi were riding. DeGeneres and the paparazzi (in a Buick behind her) were both stopped at a light, when Jeanne Werber, who was driving a 2002 Porsche Carrera, slammed into the Buick, which in turn slammed into DeGeneres' Porsche.
TMZ spoke with Jeanne Werber on September 3. Werber denied she was driving drunk, telling TMZ, "I'm just a normal wife. I went to the grocery store and was going home."
Werber was unaware that paparazzi were in the Buick; she was also unaware that DeGeneres and de Rossi were in the Porsche.