'The Mentalist' star Simon Baker admits to drunk driving before Magistrate, avoids conviction

On September 11, The Mentalist star Simon Baker admitted that he drove his car while under the influence of alcohol. The New South Wales police stopped the Australian actor and director during the early morning of July 20, after he drove his grey Tesla in an alleged erratic manner on Booyung Road at Nashua. Baker was issued a field court attendance notice after failing an on-scene sobriety test.

The actor's lawyer appeared at the Mullumbimby Local Court on September 4 and lodged a guilty plea. On Wednesday, September 11, Baker himself appeared at the local court and admitted to driving under the influence but no conviction was recorded and the star was let go on a nine-month good behavior bond.

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Simon Baker confessed to drinking four glasses of wine hours before police stopped him

On July 20, at around 2:10 am, New South Wales Police stopped a 55-year-old man driving a grey Tesla on Booyung Road at Nashua. According to the Associated Press, the man, who was later identified to be The Mentalist star Simon Baker, allegedly drove erratically in the Byron Bay region, where he also resides.

According to a statement obtained by People magazine, the actor was the sole occupant of the car and was required to do a roadside breath test which he failed after returning a positive result. However, according to 9 News, the incident took place during the infamous worldwide Microsoft systems outage, which also affected police systems.

This meant that the actor had to take a traditional on-scene sobriety test. According to 9 News, police observed that Baker was unsteady on his feet and smelt of alcohol. He even told officers that he had consumed four glasses of wine during dinner at 6 in the evening. The police statement continued:

"He was subsequently issued a field court attendance notice for attempt drive while under influence of alcohol and drive under the influence and is due to appear at Mullumbimby Local Court on 4 September 2024."

On September 4, Simon Baker's lawyers lodged a guilty plea at the Mullumbimby Local Court in New South Wales, Australia. The actor appeared in court on Wednesday and pled guilty to driving with a blood-alcohol concentration exceeding the legal limit of 0.05%. However, the actor and director managed to avoid getting convicted for his offense.

Magistrate Kathy Crittenden cited unusual circumstances while pronouncing Simon Baker's sentence due to the usage of a traditional sobriety test. Crittenden was quoted by 9 News as stating:

"Ordinarily police would've proceeded with a breath analysis but they had to use the old-fashioned sobriety test."

The court was informed that Simon Baker had completed his mandatory traffic offenders rehabilitation program and the Magistrate revealed that four character references had presented Baker's contributions to the community and and also informed the court regarding the actor's significant remorse and his actions being out of character.

Kathy Crittenden revealed that the actor was "extremely remorseful" about what he had done and was also "very polite and co-operative". The actor was released on a nine-month good behavior bond without the recording of a conviction. As per 9 News, Magistrate Kathy Crittenden proclaimed:

"The court has little difficulty in finding that Mr Baker is remorseful for his offending and it is unlikely he will offend again."

Simon Lucas Baker is a prolific Hollywood actor, best known for his portrayal of Patrick Jane, from the hit CBS TV show, The Mentalist, which ran from 2008 to 2015. The Aussie actor is also well-recognized for starring alongside Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blunt in the iconic 2006 hit, The Devil Wears Prada.