Kathryn Dennis of 'Southern Charm' arrested on suspicion of DUI after 3-car collision
"Southern Charm" alumna Kathryn Dennis has been arrested in South Carolina on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The 32-year-old reality star was arrested Monday night in Goose Creek, located outside of Charleston, following a three-car accident around 9 p.m., according to a Goose Creek Police Department report reviewed by USA TODAY on Tuesday.
In the report, Dennis is labeled as the "offender" in the collision. According to statements from the two victims, Dennis' vehicle hit one of the cars from the rear, causing it to collide with another vehicle in front of them while they were stopped at a red light. The report did not disclose if the victims were hospitalized following the incident.
Dennis, who was driving with her dog in the car, was evaluated by paramedics and declined going to the hospital. However, she agreed to a field sobriety test. After checking her eyes and balance, the responding officer determined "probable cause existed for the charge of Driving Under the Influence."
The officer allegedly found several miniature bottles of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky in Dennis' car, some of which were opened and empty, and claimed to smell "an odor consistent with the odor of alcoholic beverages emanating from" Dennis.
Police accused Dennis of driving with open containers of alcohol and driving under the influence of alcohol. Despite allegedly telling authorities she didn't have anything to eat or drink earlier in the evening, once at the police headquarters, Dennis said she'd drank "way earlier" and refused to conduct a breath test.
She was subsequently taken to a detention center, where she was given a June 4 court date and a $1,257 bond. It was not immediately clear whether Dennis posted bail.
TMZ was first to report the news. USA TODAY has reached out to a spokesperson for Dennis for comment.
The mom of two appeared on the Bravo reality show from 2014 through 2022 and announced her departure from "Southern Charm" in January 2023.
Kathryn Dennis says 'I don't deserve to be here' in arrest footage
In police footage obtained by TMZ and published Thursday, Dennis is seen being tested for her eyesight and balance and then being arrested.
"Y'all are ruining my life — and my kids,'" she tells the officer who handcuffed her and placed her in the back of the police vehicle. "Thanks for nothing because you didn't even do a field sobriety test to know if you're legit or not."
The police report states the tests Dennis conducted were the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, "walk and turn" and the one-leg stand.
In the video, Dennis accuses the officer: "You didn't do a blood alcohol test. Maybe I don't have the best balance in the whole wide world, but you sure didn't confirm what you were doing."
She continued, "I don't deserve to be here at all." When the officers said her dog would be taken to an animal shelter while she was detained, Dennis got upset and cried out, "I want my dog; he means everything to me."
She also threatened to "sue" the officer.
Kathryn Dennis has spoken about sobriety, alcohol use
Dennis went to rehab in 2016 after temporarily losing custody of her children, whom she shares with former co-star Thomas Ravenel.
She told Entertainment Tonight in 2018 that she was "very proud of myself" for being sober and that she feels “mentally, spiritually and physically healthy." According to People, she revealed in the Season 6 "Southern Charm" reunion, which aired in August 2019, that she'd started drinking alcohol again.
Dennis' on-and-off relationship with Ravenel – the father of her two children, Kensie and St. Julien – was shown on "Southern Charm." They split in 2016 and went through a drawn-out custody battle. In 2019, the reality star announced that she and Ravenel had "resolved all matters related to our children" with a joint custody arrangement.
That year, Ravenel – a former South Carolina state treasurer who resigned from the position in 2007 after pleading guilty to a federal drug charge – also pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and battery of his children’s former nanny in a 2015 incident.
Dennis dated Chleb Ravenell in her final run on Season 8, but the two later called it quits.
If you suspect you or someone you know needs help with alcohol abuse, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit https://findtreatment.gov.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kathryn Dennis of 'Southern Charm' arrested, suspected of DUI