Dawn Wells, the actress made famous on Gilligan's Island in the 1960s and who until January owned a home in Redington Shores, this week pleaded guilty to a reckless driving charge in Idaho. From the AP account:
She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.
Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts â driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance â were dropped.
On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.
Ahh, the time-honored "hippie hitchhikers" defense. She might have wanted to ask the court to face the truth: if all you were known for was a '60s sitcom that linked you to a goofball like Bob Denver forever and made you the endless butt of " who was sleeping with whom on the island" conjectures, you would deserve to blaze up every now and then.