Lou Diamond Phillips takes plea deal for probation in Portland, Texas DWI arrest

SINTON, Texas — Actor Lou Diamond Phillips, who was arrested in November in Portland on suspicion of driving while intoxicated, must not drink for two years after entering into a plea deal Wednesday.

Best known for his role in "La Bamba," Phillips appeared at the San Patricio County Courthouse around 2 p.m Wednesday with his father. The 56-year-old actor was given two years of probation after entering a guilty plea, his attorney Mark DiCarlo told the Caller-Times.

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Other conditions for the actor include the use of a portable device that monitors alcohol, taking part in a DWI education program, not entering bars or taverns, and reporting in-person for probation in San Patricio County for the first four months.

"Mr. Phillips has issued his apologies a number of times regarding this incident, and from the beginning, the time of his arrest, he voluntarily took the breathalyzer, submitted to a failed sobriety test, and expressed his remorse about the fact that this has occurred," Di Carlo said.

While he was at the Sinton courthouse, the actor, a Flour Bluff High School Graduate, took photos with fans, Di Carlo said.

Phillips, who plays Henry Standing Bear on A&E's Western crime drama series "Longmire," was arrested around 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 3.

An officer was in the midst of a traffic stop in the 600 block of Moore Avenue when Phillips pulled up behind the patrol car to ask for directions to Flour Bluff, Portland Police Chief Mark Cory said previously.

Suspecting Phillips was intoxicated, the officer called another officer to assist. Phillips was given "several" sobriety tests. After failing them, he was arrested and taken to the San Patricio County Jail in Sinton.

Phillips' blood alcohol concentration was .20, more than double the legal limit in Texas of .08, Cory said.

Hours later, Phillips attended the "Voices of South Texas" as a guest speaker. There, he apologized for his arrest, garnering cheers and apologies from the crowd.

"I want to sincerely apologize for an incident this morning. Some of you may have heard about that," Phillips said in November at the event. "I am here to promote and celebrate this amazing event here in my hometown of Corpus Christi, and if anything that I have done distracts from that or diminishes that I sincerely apologize."

Phillips was scheduled to appear in court for a pre-trial hearing Thursday, court documents show.

"I talked with the defense attorney, and we took care of it today," San Patricio County Attorney Tamara Cochran-May said. "And sometimes that happens with defense attorneys. If they come in before the setting with their clients and the judge happens to be on the bench with other matters, then we go ahead and take care of it in advance. That is typical."

The county attorney said she gave Phillips two years probation, instead of one, because the actor doesn't live in Texas and because of the high Breathalyzer reading he registered.

Phillips told Cochran-May Thursday he stopped drinking altogether after his arrest, she added.

Reporters Monica Lopez and Meagan Falcon contributed to this report.

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