Crime & Arrests

"Happy Gilmore" star Christopher McDonald has been arrested for drunk driving ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us "Thelma & Louise" actor was driving in the Lake Arrowhead area Saturday at 9 PM when he was taken into custody. An eyewitness tells TMZ McDonald drove his classic silver Porsche off the highway, taking out a gas meter at Stater Bros. and ending up in an embankment.

The eyewitness says McDonald told cops he appeared in "Happy Gilmore." They were not impressed.

McDonald was taken to a nearby jail where he's being kept until he sobers up. He will be released without bail.

This is not McDonald's first drunk driving case. He was arrested in 2013 for DWI in Wilmington, North Carolina. At the time he blew .15 ... almost double the legal limit.

And this past July McDonald gave advice to Tiger Woods, assuring him he would bounce back from his DUI.

The tactics Stephen Paddock's brother used to avoid authorities are being described as "evil smart" ... and have disturbing connections to the Vegas shooting.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Bruce Paddock has been on the run for more than 2 years prior to his arrest this week for child porn. We're told he changed his appearance and moved often to keep cops off his tail ... and took drastic measures to avoid getting nabbed.

Our sources say Bruce rigged up places he was living with booby traps that included propane tanks tied to doors ... and used cameras to create homemade surveillance systems around his properties.

As you'll recall ... Stephen had cameras set up in his Mandalay Bay hotel room to presumably alert him if someone was coming while he attacked the Vegas crowd from his window.

Justin Bieber's obsessed fan has nothing but time on her hands while she sits behind bars ... the price to pay for showing up uninvited to his crib.

Mirabelli Stefania pled no contest to one count of misdemeanor aggravated trespass and the judge immediately sentenced her to jail, but not a lot. She got 8 days, but only has to serve 4. She's been in jail since her arrest earlier this week so she'll be back on the streets within a day.

Stefania will be on probation for 12 months, and she's been ordered to stay 100 yards clear of J.B.

TMZ broke the story ... Stefania was busted at Justin's Bev Hills pad after cops say she wandered onto the property for the third time in a week. Bieber was home at the time but she never made it inside the residence and he never made contact with her.

Here's the problem ... obsessed fans are the least likely to obey stay away orders because they're often not operating rationally.

Ex-boxing champ -- turned "Dancing with the Stars" contestant -- Victor Ortiz struck a plea deal in his DUI case ... and he's on thin ice for the next 3 years.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Ortiz was arrested on Sept. 24 of last year in Ventura County, CA around 7 PM when cops pulled over his BMW and smelled booze.

Officials say Ortiz's BAC was MORE than .15 ... which is a huge deal because in California, that triggers a "special allegation" which carries a tougher penalty if convicted ... more jail, higher fines, etc.

But Ortiz caught a huge break -- cutting a deal with prosecutors in which he plead guilty to a misdemeanor DUI and in exchange the "special allegation" was dismissed.

He was sentenced to 3 years probation and 8 days in county jail -- but he'll get credit for time served for 4 days and the remaining 4 days will be served as part of a work release program.

Don Lemon received a series of racist, frightening death threats by a self-proclaimed white nationalist Trump supporter -- and they were so ominous, police are now involved -- TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Lemon's CNN security team contacted the NYPD Wednesday after allegedly receiving multiple messages on Twitter, some that read, "F*** you n***** can't wait to stab your neck" and "U r a pile of rotting Dogshit,racist,communist, socialist, Liberal moron asshole,i will find u U will pay.ill see u real soon..."

The user's profile info is disturbing ... "white nationalist conservative . pro gun anti islam anti terrorist anti leftist yes i HATE demorats,blm,antifa ,socialists. heavily armed racist.WLM." He also makes it clear ... he's pro-Trump.

The report with NYPD was made for aggravated harassment ... but our sources say it'll likely be considered a hate crime.

Lemon's been an extremely vocal critic of Trump, just this week delivering a personal message to address the controversy with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson.

We're told the investigation into the threats is still ongoing and no arrests have been made.

We reached out to a rep for Lemon ... so far, no word back.

There's a twist in the Robert Mathis arrest ... his blood alcohol level was BELOW the legal limit, law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports.

When the ex-Indianapolis Colts star was pulled over at 12:09 AM on Tuesday, we're told he blew a .052 -- well below the legal limit, .08.

So, why was he still arrested for operating while intoxicated?

We're told cops conducted a field sobriety test -- Mathis didn't do well -- and officers ultimately determined Mathis was impaired and unable to drive.

FYI, the law allows officers to arrest someone for OWI based on other tests besides B.A.C.. That seems to be what happened in this case.

As we previously reported, Mathis was stopped in the first place after cops say he was driving the wrong way down a 1-way street.

Former Indianapolis Colts star Robert Mathis -- a 6-time pro bowler -- was arrested in Indiana early Tuesday morning after cops say he was driving while intoxicated.

Officials say Mathis was initially pulled over after officer spotted him driving the wrong way on a 1-way street around 12:09 AM and noticed he wasn't using his turn signals.

During the stop, officer noticed signs Mathis was impaired and arrested him for OWI: Endangering a Person.

The 36-year-old was locked up at Hamilton County Jail. According to a jail official, he was released this morning without bail after spending about 9 hours behind bars.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham just a caught a huge break -- prosecutors have officially let him off the hook for bringing a loaded gun into an airport.

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Bradham was arrested at Miami International Airport back in 2016 after he put a loaded gun through the X-ray machine.

Bradham had claimed he simply forgot the gun was in a zippered part of his backpack that he rarely used.

Initially, Bradham was charged with a 2nd degree misdemeanor -- but we've learned that charge was dropped.

We spoke with Bradham's attorney, Adam Swickle, who tells us, "The state had no case against him and they found that it wasn’t something he should be criminally sanctioned for."

Swickle pointed out Bradham had a valid concealed weapons permit and didn't intend to break the law. Simple accident.

He adds, "Nigel is a fantastic football player and a very high character guy."

1:33 PM PT -- Corey has spoken about his run-in with cops Saturday, saying he was not arrested or thrown in jail ... just cited and charged with a misdemeanor. He says cops found medicinal marijuana on 1 of his crew members -- with a CA prescription -- as well as other Rx drugs from other members, who didn't have their paperwork on them. He adds ... cops told them with proper proof, the charges could be dropped. He also says he only got wrapped up in the bust because it was his bus ... and says after they "paid them in cash," the band was good to go.

Corey Feldman and his bandmates got pulled over in their RV en route to play a show ... which led to arrests and drug charges.

Feldman's crew was reportedly headed to a gig at Live Oak's Bar and Ballroom in Monroe, LA Saturday night when they got busted for speeding in Mangham. According to law enforcement ... Corey's driver's license was suspended, and cops found a small amount of marijuana upon searching the vehicle.

Feldman was arrested and taken to the Richland Parish jail, but was reportedly released after paying a small fine for speeding and weed possession.

Other members of Corey Feldman & The Angels were also booked on unspecified drug charges.

'Buffy the Vampire' star Nicholas Brendon ended up back in handcuffs, and posing for yet another mug shot after an alleged drunken attack on his girlfriend ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Brendon and the woman were at a Palm Springs hotel bar on October 12 when she got up to go back to their room. We're told Nicholas sat her back down by yanking her arm.

She got up again, but this time Brendon -- who's had numerous arrests in recent years -- pulled her down by her hair ... according to law enforcement. We're told a hotel employee called cops, who arrested Brendon for felony domestic violence.

Didn't take long for O.J. Simpson to reach out to his old NFL pals -- he called Eric Dickerson THE NIGHT he was released from prison ... this according to the Hall of Famer himself.

"He's good. He's really good," Dickerson told TMZ Sports ... "He's trying to get me to hang out with him."

Dickerson and Simpson were pretty tight before O.J. got locked up and have remained friendly throughout the years.

"Lean on Me" star Jermaine Hopkins might need another meeting with Morgan Freeman -- cops say he tried to speed past them with several pounds of marijuana in his car.

Law enforcement sources tell us cops in Apex, NC spotted Jermaine driving 70 in a 55 last week. Once they pulled him over cops say they found 5.7 lbs. of weed in his trunk and arrested him for felony drug possession with intent to sell.

He also got tagged with a speeding ticket before he was released on $3,000 bond.

Jermaine was also busted in 2011 for buying 200 lbs. of pot from an undercover cop -- so 5 lbs. almost seems like an improvement. By the way, he got 3 years probation for that 2011 arrest.

We've reached out to Jermaine, so far no word back.

Melissa Etheridge didn't pass the K-9 sniffing test ... Todd Rundgren did, but they both got arrested for drugs on the U.S.-Canadian border.

Melissa and Todd were both pinched -- on separate dates -- in North Dakota after their tour buses were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol. According to docs, Melissa's bus was returning to the U.S. on August 17. After a K-9 unit detected possible drugs, agents found marijuana oil.

Cops say Melissa said she uses it to manage pain from cancer. That's legal in Cali, where she lives, but in N.D. it's still a no-no. She was booked for possession of a controlled substance ... took a super pleasant mug shot, and pleaded not guilty.

As for 1970s rocker Rundgren -- Customs nabbed him on September 9 when his bus was stopped. The dogs missed it, but agents found 2 vapes and containers with liquid THC.

Hello, it's me ... I just got booked for possession of drugs and paraphernalia.

The scumbag who socked out a 62-year-old man at a Carolina Panthers game has been arrested for assault, cops have confirmed.

The suspect is Kyle Adam Maraghy -- and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD says he's currently on his way to jail.

The CMPD says the 26-year-old is the man who was captured on video brutally attacking another man in the stands at Bank of America Stadium during Thursday Night Football.

We did some checking ... this ain't the first time Maraghy's been accused of violence.

He's been arrested for assault at least 2 times since 2013 -- and has claimed to be a victim in 2 other violent incidents. We're trying to find out if Maraghy was ever convicted.

"Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta" star Karen King isn't quite breathing a sigh of relief after her identity theft case was dismissed ... it's more like she's holding her breath.

Karen was busted for racking up a $5k tab at Saks Fifth Avenue, and allegedly using someone else's name and credit card. The Fulton County D.A. slapped her with 3 felony charges -- but prosecutors couldn't get the 70-year-old victim to testify on time.

No witness, no case. The judge dismissed the matter, but prosecutors ain't giving up just yet. The D.A.'s Office tells TMZ it intends to refile. They've got 6 months to do so.

Keep that champagne on ice, Karen.

Akon firmly believes there's no way Nelly raped anyone, and his theory on what led to his friend's arrest echoes what Nelly claims himself.

We got the singer at LAX Saturday, and our guy throws him for a loop right away with the news. Akon's clearly not buying it, though ... and practically guarantees it's not true because he knows Nelly.

Then it gets really interesting ... Akon speculates the rape charge could be a case of mistaken identity or -- even worse -- the accuser might have made it all up to try to score an easy payday from the rapper.