CHRISTIAN GIBSON ARRSTED FOR DUI: LKE FATHER, LIKE SON
The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in Mel Gibson's family — at least where his oldest son is concerned. In the wake of the movie star's infamous July 28 drunken-driving arrest in Malibu, in which he railed against "the Jews" and even attempted to escape before being handcuffed, Star has learned exclusively that Christian Gibson, 24, was arrested on the very same charge in Boulder, Colo., last year! And just like his troubled father, Christian's DUI arrest led to his treatment for substance abuse — at two different rehab facilities.
Christian, one of Gibson and his wife Robyn's seven children, was a student at the University of Colorado-Boulder (a notorious party school!) when he was pulled over by Boulder police after making an illegal turn inhis Chevy Blazer at 1:55 a.m. on Feb. 7, 2005. According to a report filed by Officer K. O'Toole, a strong smell of alcohol wafted from the car, in which Christian was driving four other passengers. The officer wrote: "I saw Gibson had red, watery eyes and slow, slurred speech...I asked Gibson to step out of the vehicle and walk to the sidewalk...As I spoke with Gibson alone, I detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his person."
ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
After getting out of the car, Christian told O'Toole he would be willing to perform "voluntary roadside maneuvers," which include placing one's finger to one's nose and walking a straight line. According to police, Christian's actions suggested he was under the influence of alcohol, and he was promptly placed under arrest for DUI. Shockingly, police also discovered several shotgun shell casings — which young Gibson explained were left over from a "hunting vacation" — while searching his Blazer. After spending five long hours in the Boulder County Jail, where his alcohol level was tested, Christian paid a $500 bond and was released. Court documents show that soon after this incident, Mel's son left the university and began residential substance abuse treatment on March 12, 2005 at Cirque Lodge in Utah — the same facility that helped Mary-Kate Olsen beat anorexia in 2004!
On April 18, after 34 days of treatment, Christian began his next phase by moving home to California and immediately enrolling in the Sober Living program (including random drug screenings and 12-step meetings) at the Cliffside Malibu rehab facility. He completed the program two months later.
With therapy under his belt, Gibson's oldest son eventually entered an out-of-state guilty plea in Boulder to the reduced charge of DWAI (driving while ability-impaired), and was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation. He also paid $837 in court costs and fines — pocket change for his mega-million-dollar family!
"It's not surprising that Mel's son has demonstrated a pattern of behavior similar to his father," Dr. Marc Kern, a Beverly Hills-based addiction specialist (who doesn't treat either Gibson) tells Star. "There's genetic predisposition, but other factors may come into play, like the kind of role model Mel's been to his son, his availability to his son while Christian was growing up and how well they got along."
But unlike his famous father — whose anti-Semitic remarks during his own arrest have alienated Hollywood and the public — Christian's arresting officer in Boulder pointed out in the report: "Gibson was polite and courteous during my entire contact with him."
— ALEX BURTON
