Bad Vacation: Randy Quaid, Wife Arrested for $10k Hotel Bill
Quaids free on bail after arrest
By DANIEL MACHT
Updated 1:22 AM EDT, Fri, Sep 25, 2009
Randy Quaid and wife Evi were released from a West Texas jail late Thursday after a friendly sheriff schlepped the actor to the bank so each could post $20,000 bail.
The Quaids spent several hours in jail Thursday after being nabbed for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill, Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told The Associated Press.
Evi Quad "resisted a little bit, it wasn't too much," Dominguez said. "She calmed down quickly."
The sheriff said Randy -- best known for his roles in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" movies, "Independence Day" and "Kingpin" -- received no special treatment even though he drove him to the bank without handcuffs.
"I like to help everybody out," Dominguez said. "It's a small town."
A felony warrant for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy was issued out of Santa Barbara, Calif. for the actor.
Authorities received a complaint in early September that the Quaids had not paid a bill of more than $10,000 due to a local hotel, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.
The warrant was issued after sheriff's detectives filed a case with the district attorney. Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokesman Drew Sugars said Thursday that detectives had not yet spoken with the actor and the department said it would not immediately release further details.
A deputy spotted the couple driving in Marfa, where they had been staying at a hotel, Dominguez said.
A message left for Randy Quaid's commercial agent, Steven Arcieri, was not immediately returned.
Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years."
He also played a hard-nosed sheep rancher in "Brokeback Mountain," then sued Focus Features and the film's producers in 2006, claiming he was compelled to work cheaply when told the film — which earned $82 million at the domestic box office — had no prospects of making money.
A native Texan, he is the older brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid.
Marfa, a remote West Texas town, is no stranger to Hollywood attention.
More than 50 years ago, filmmaker George Stevens settled on the area for his epic Texas oil tale "Giant," which starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. (Stevens won a best director Oscar for "Giant" in 1957, the only win of that film's 10 nominations).
More recently, "There Will be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" were filmed in the desolate town of 2,100, founded as a railroad stop in 1883.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC Philadelphia
First Published: Sep 24, 2009 8:35 PM EDT
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