Mar Vista car crash: Anne Heche's blood test showed 'presence of drugs,' LAPD says
LOS ANGELES - Anne Heche is under investigation for felony DUI after a victim came forward with injuries following Friday's crash in Mar Vista, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Officials said initially there were no reported injuries in connection with the crash. However, LAPD "later learned that there was a victim who was injured and that victim who was injured obtained medical attention."
Any potential charges against Heche would have been misdemeanors if there were no reported injuries.
Lynne Mishele, the woman who lived at the home Heche destroyed, was hit by some debris, and had smoke-related injuries as well. She was not hospitalized, Fox News reports.
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Heche remains hospitalized on a ventilator to help her breathe and faces surgery. Los Angeles police say blood drawn showed a presence of drugs, however additional testing is required. It is unknown what substance was found. Police say they need to rule out any substances that might have been administered at the hospital as part of her medical treatment, then do a second test.
"Shortly after the accident, Anne became unconscious, slipping into a coma and is in critical condition," spokeswoman Heather Duffy Boylston said in an email. "She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention."
On Aug. 5, Heche’s car smashed into a house in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles’ westside. Flames erupted, and Heche, who was alone in the car, was pulled by firefighters from the vehicle embedded in the house. It took nearly 60 firefighters more than an hour to douse the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
TMZ obtained video showing Heche involved in a minor collision at a Mar Vista-area apartment complex earlier Friday, crashing into a wall in a parking area, then driving away as people nearby tried to help. The crash into the home occurred a short time later.
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Surveillance video posted on social media shows the car speeding down the residential street just prior to the crash, which sent Heche's blue Mini Cooper completely into the home.
Heche, 53, rose to fame on the soap opera "Another World," where she played the dual role of twins Vicky Hudson and Marley Love from 1987 to 1991 and won a Daytime Emmy Award for her performance.
She also had roles in several films including "Donnie Brasco," "Six Days, Seven Nights," "Wag the Dog," "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and director Gus Van Sant's remake of "Psycho."
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Heche has also appeared on several television shows including "Ally McBeal," "Chicago P.D." and a recurring role on the series "All Rise." In June, she signed on to star in Lifetime's "Girl in Room 13," which is set to premiere this fall.
The Ohio native had a high-profile romance with comedian-actress and former talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres from March 1997 until they broke up in August 2000 and has a 20-year-old son, Homer Heche Laffoon, with ex-husband Coleman `Coley' Laffoon.
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Heche also has a second son from a relationship with actor James Tupper, her co-star on the TV series "Men in Trees," which aired on ABC for two seasons from 2006 to 2008, according to the Hollywood Reporter.