Thomas Kinkade is known as the Painter of Light for his luminous, other-wordly paintings of rustic village scenes and spiritual scenery.
But the picture wasn’t so rosy for the famous artist when he was arrested for DUI in Carmel, California, recently, according to the Monterey Herald.
Kinkade was driving his 2006 Mercedes Benz just after nine o’clock in the evening on a Friday when police pulled him over because the car did not have a front license plate on it. When officers approached the vehicle, they could smell alcohol coming from the driver, Kinkade.
Officers called in the California Highway Patrol, who proceeded with their investigation for driving under the influence. A CHP officer gave Kinkade a field sobriety test, according to the CHP.
Kinkade, though polite and cooperative, did register “signs of impairment” in the judgment of the officer who was giving the field sobriety test.
The Painter of Light was then arrested and taken to a medical center, where the results of his blood-alcohol content were measured, and from which the results are pending. Kinkade was booked in jail and released on bail.
Kinkade is a resident of Carmel. The news came after the recent story that his production company was filling for bankruptcy.
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In another job for the California Highway Patrol, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Ray McDonald was arrested for suspicion of DUI on a recent Saturday evening. McDonald was allegedly driving 94 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone when he was pulled over.
He was driving a black BMW, and police noticed an odor of alcohol in the car when he approached the driver’s side. While it’s not known if McDonald took a breath test or a blood-alcohol content test, he did take a field sobriety test, and was arrested on suspicion of DUI after that point. He was booked into county jail and released soon after.
According to the 49ers, the 25-year-old McDonald quickly informed them of the incident. He was present at their most recent practice the morning after the arrest. He also apologized for his actions.
“My intent is just to come out here and work hard and try to win ball games this year,” he said. “And I don’t want this to be a distraction for the fans, my family, my teammates. That’s pretty much it.”
This wasn’t the first brush with the law at NFL training camp. In 2006, another 49er was stopped for speeding in the area. Receiver Antonio Bryant was driving his orange Lamborghini over 100 miles per hour when he passed a police cruiser on the highway. Bryant was so belligerent that he had to be held down with restraints. The charges were later dropped, though Bryant was suspended for four games.
