Alex Jones, the right-wing radio show host who frequently promotes conspiracy theories, was arrested Tuesday morning by the Travis County Sheriff's Office in Texas for driving while intoxicated, authorities have said. After the news initially broke about the arrest, an affidavit revealed additional troubling allegations of a "family disturbance" that had been "physical."
CBS Austin initially reported the news. It said Jones had been released by 4 a.m. on $3,000 bond.
Jones has denied that he was drunk. On his site, InfoWars, an article claimed he had been cleared of the charge by blowing less than .08 on a breathalyzer, but this claim has not been verified. The article claimed Jones was caught in a "countywide dragnet," citing "police sources."
And yet the Daily Beast reported:
But an arrest affidavit filed in court paints a different picture. According to the report, Jones’ wife called the sheriff’s department on Monday night to report a “family disturbance” between her and Jones. Jones’ wife added that he had possibly been drinking, according to the report.“The disturbance now was only verbal but earlier in the day it ‘was physical,’” the affidavit reads.
On the way to Jones’ home, a sheriff’s deputy saw a car matching the description of Jones’ car and pulled him over. Jones had a “strong odor of alcohol coming from his person,” according to the affidavit, and said he had drank a bottle of Sake earlier that night at dinner. The report describes Jones’ eyes as “water and glassy,” with “constricted pupils,” and adds that the host was “excited, talkative, and carefree.”
“Jones stated he and his wife got into an argument while eating dinner and he ended up walking home from the restaurant,” the affidavit reads.
Jones swayed back and forth during the interview, according to the affidavit, and later allegedly failed a “walk and turn” sobriety test.
Jones said he had been "drinking a small amount of sake at a Japanese restaurant." The article also said he had been driving 45 mph in a 40 mph zone, though again, this is unverified.
Many jurisdictions have a two-fold requirement for a DWI charge: driving while above the legal blood-alcohol limit, or being impaired while driving. Drivers can still be impaired by alcohol in their system even if it falls below the legal limit and can thus be found guilty on DWI charges.
“It was quite the experience to see what was going on in this country and to experience it myself,” Jones said of his experience on the radio show.