Actress Haley Pullos began her 90-day jail sentence after surrendering to police Monday, Breitbart reported. The 25-year-old former General Hospital star received the punishment for a crash she caused in 2023 while driving drunk the wrong way on the freeway.
The accident occurred on April 29, 2023, after Pullos chose to get behind the wheel of a vehicle with impaired and with a .08 blood alcohol content level. She eventually pleaded no contest to the charges against her and took a leave of absence from her role as Molly Lansing in the soap opera.
Pullos is set to appear in court on July 29 after serving her jail time. At that time, she will receive 200 hours of community service and five years' probation in addition to paying more than $8,000 in restitution.
Still, the daytime television actress's attorney, Mark Daniel Melnick, said she was "grateful" for the court's relative leniency. "Haley is very grateful to the court for a minimum sentence and for recognizing her remorse and the strides she has made in her sobriety," Melnick said.
Fox News reported that the crash occurred during the early morning hours on a Pasenda highway. Pullos was traveling the wrong way on the road and slammed into a vehicle driven by Courtney Wilder.
According to a social media post on X, formerly Twitter, the Pasadena City Fire Department rescued both drivers from their mangled vehicles. Pullos was extracted from her vehicle using the Jaws of Life.
Freeway Rescue - 134/Orange Grove. Early this morning PFD responded to a traffic collision requiring rescue of occupants from both vehicles. Cause is unknown but always a reminder to stay within the speed limit, avoid drinking and stay off your phone. pic.twitter.com/mkuM7ZFfJ3
— Pasadena Fire Dept. (@PasadenaFD) April 29, 2023
Troublingly, a lawsuit against Pullos filed by the other driver indicated that she allegedly struck first responders who were trying to help her and yelled, "This is a $400 f---ing shirt!" She was taken to an area hospital for treatment, where personnel and police determined she had "objective signs and symptoms of intoxication."
Pullos was then arrested and "became aggressive and began fighting hospital staff, and was sedated." Wilder is suing Pullos as well as the California Department of Transportation and the nightclub where she worked and consumed the alcoholic drinks.
Although Pullos ultimately surrendered to the charges, she claimed in Wilder's civil lawsuit that she was not responsible for the crash, the New York Post reported. She requested to have the case dismissed and attempted to blame the plaintiff for the crash.
Pullos contends that "the damages" were the result of "either the sole negligent and/or intentional conduct of plaintiffs.” Furthermore, she said Wilder's pecuniary recovery, "if any, should be reduced by an amount proportionate to the amount by which plaintiffs’ negligent."
That's difficult to sell, considering Pullos reportedly had marijuana edibles and mini bottles of liquor in her vehicle at the time of the crash. Police noted Pullos presented with a "smell of alcohol on her breath, slurred speech, and watery eyes" following the crash.
The former child actress is lucky that nobody was seriously hurt in the accident and that she got off with so light of a sentence. Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol is a crime for a reason.
Because of Pullos's actions, someone could have gotten killed that night. Instead, she's trying to defend herself and fight a lawsuit brought by the person who was injured due to her carelessness, and that's shameful.
