Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
New details about Amber Portwood's shocking arrest yesterday at the courthouse have surfaced. Yesterday I wrote that I thought it was cruel and unhelpful that she had to spend the holidays in jail. But these latest details are giving me second thoughts about her case.
Amber's probation report says that she is "a danger to herself and others." She has been abusing prescription medications, and baby daddy Gary Shirley called the police back in June to report Amber was threatening suicide. Those sound more like cries for help than arrestable offenses, though. And what about the timing? Why arrest her for that now? Hold on -- there's more to the story.
Amber failed to meet her probation officers on Friday. And when the officers paid her a visit at her home, she appeared to be under the influence of a "mood-altering substance." (And I don't think they mean chocolate.) But the biggest bombshell is the car accident Amber got into on Thursday. She admitted she had been driving while under the influence of medications. Yet she refused to take a drug test on Monday or on Friday.
That last little tidbit about driving under the influence does make me think Amber's holiday arrest is more justified. Everything else just says "get this girl some help!" But the Indiana police have a duty to protect the public from someone who might be driving under the influence of meds. Maybe Amber can detox from the meds while she's in jail -- though I doubt that's really the best way to wean her from substance abuse.
So the public is safe from one reckless teen driving under the influence. And Amber is safe from the harm she could do to herself. I guess that's the best she can hope for this Christmas. But I hope when she goes to her hearing on January 13, there's a plan in place to get her out of this self-destructive cycle. Wouldn't it be great if Amber could avoid jail time in 2012?
Do you think Amber will detox enough in jail to make a difference in 2012?
Image via MTV
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
