GOOD WILL HUNTING - DIRECTOR VAN SANT ARRESTED FOR DRINK DRIVING

GOOD WILL HUNTING director GUS VAN SANT was arrested early on Thursday morning (21DEC06) for drink driving in Portland, Oregon. Van Sant, 54, was stopped by police in Portland at 1:48 am (local time) and booked into the Multnomah County jail. Officers pulled him over after they spotted him driving his 2006 Porsche Cayenne Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) down a street with no headlights on and after seeing him accelerate sharply after stopping at a red light. SERGEANT BRIAN SCHMAUTZ, the spokesman for Portland Police Bureau, says, "He had glassy, watery, red eyes, slurred speech, and smelled strongly of alcohol." A breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 per cent, which is more than twice the state limit of 0.08 per cent. Van Sant, who lives in Portland, was nominated for an Academy Award for 1997's Good Will Hunting and has also directed DRUGSTORE COWBOY and MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO. Van Sant was charged with misdemeanour DUI and will appear in court on 17 January (07).