The former sitcom star was ordered to serve five days in
jail, fined $410.50 fine and placed under probation after pleading guilty to
one count of reckless driving. Under the plea agreement, three misdemeanor
counts, driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and
possession of a controlled substance, were dropped.
The 69-year-old actress was pulled over by police officers
in
According to police reports, deputies seized four
half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana from her vehicle.
"I exited my patrol vehicle and immediately was able to
smell a strong odor of burning marijuana,"
When she was asked by Gutierrez why he smelled marijuana in
her car, Wells said she had just dropped off some hitchhikers who reportedly
smoked something. Gutierrez searched the car and found three half-smoked joints
in the ashtray and console while a second search revealed a fourth half-smoked
joint and two small cases used to store marijuana.
Wells was taken into custody and released after posting a
$4,000 bond. She was arraigned on the charges the following day, pleading not
guilty as a trial on the matter was scheduled for March 13, but was canceled
because of the plea agreement.
According to Associated Press, Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.