Hannah Montana actor Mitchel Musso speaks out after arrest for alleged public drunkenness and stealing a bag of chips: ‘I was absolutely not drunk and there was no theft’
Former Hannah Montana actor Mitchel Musso claims he was the victim of an argument last weekend that resulted in his arrest.
Musso, 32, was arrested Saturday on charges of public intoxication and theft of less than $100 after a conflict at a motel in his hometown of Rockwall, Texas. TMZ Previously reported.
Now, the former child actor claims he wasn’t “drunk” at the time of his arrest, and also denies stealing a bag of chips, contrary to Rockwall police claims.
Musso claimed that Entertainment weekly Wednesday that it was the motel clerk who got belligerent to him, rather than the other way around.
It was previously reported that he was released on $1,000 bond shortly after being booked.
Fighting back: Mitchel Musso, 32, claims he was falsely arrested Saturday at a hotel in Rockwall, Texas. He denied being drunk and stealing a bag of chips, as the police had accused him of; seen in 2018 in Hollywood
Musso, who is best known for playing Oliver Oken opposite star Miley Cyrus on her Disney Channel series Hannah Montana, stated, “I was definitely not drunk or drinking, and there was 100 percent no robbery.”
He added that the situation was “unfortunate” but “a misunderstanding.”
Police officers had originally responded to the SpringHill Suites Dallas Rockwall in response to reports of a “breakdown” from a man who “appeared drunk.”
Musso allegedly entered the hotel, grabbed a bag of chips from the food concession area at the front and ate from it without paying, local police said. rack about the issue.
But the actor denied ever opening the bag of chips, claiming to Entertainment Weekly that it was the front desk clerk who caused the commotion, not him.
He said the employee appeared “extremely disgruntled” and accused them of “unhinged behaviour” for allegedly refusing to serve him because he was wearing nothing but a swimming trunks.
“I didn’t know it’s illegal not to wear shirts these days,” he said.
While many companies explicitly prohibit service to customers without a shirt or shoes, it is also common for hotel guests to move around the lobby and hallways shirtless after using the pool.
The SpringHill Suites Dallas Rockwall website indicates that there is a pool on site.
According to Musso, he walked to the hotel from a nearby docked boat and planned to buy some snacks from the supermarket to supplement what he and his friends had already consumed on board the boat.
The other way around: Musso was arrested for allegedly verbally harassing a hotel employee and eating out of an unpaid bag of chips, but he claimed he never opened it and that the employee was belligerent towards him; seen in his mugshot of the weekend
No shirt, no service: He said he entered the hotel to buy snacks after coming off a docked boat with friends, and the employee told him to leave because he didn’t have a shirt; still from Hannah Montana
The actor and musician said the front desk clerk seemed “agitated from the start,” and he claimed they snatched a bag of chips from his hands.
“He told me to get the fuck out of it,” were the words he used,” Musso claimed. ‘ And that put me off. And he said, “I’m going to call the police,” and I said, “Go for it.”
The original police press release said Musso became “verbally abusive” after the employee allegedly asked him to pay before leaving the hotel.
However, Musso claimed that he was “the one who was verbally abused and also harassed.”
“Having someone rip something out of your hand is not the most polite manner in this situation,” he continued.
A manager at the hotel in question described the situation as “sensitive” to Entertainment Weekly and declined to comment on the details of Musso’s allegations.
However, when asked about his claim that it was the employee who was harassing him, the manager replied, “You know what, he can say whatever he wants to say.” That’s his story, that’s fine.’
In his interview, Musso added that the first officers who intercepted him at the scene told him the hotel would not press charges, only because the situation would apparently change.
“And then came the brigade,” he said. “There were literally ten, eleven police cars, twenty cops outside around me and then I got scared.”
He continued, “I closed my mouth and just put my hands behind my back, because that’s where it would start, and I let them take me in.”
Police originally said they determined that Musso was intoxicated – although the statement does not detail how that determination was made – and that he was subsequently arrested.
After officers searched his records and found outstanding warrants, he was also charged with having an expired registration, failing to show a driver’s license and violating a promise to appear.
Musso claimed it was two unpaid traffic fines from 2019 that “ended up being the reason they arrested me.”
Keep quiet: A hotel manager described the situation as “sensitive” and declined to comment on the details of Musso’s allegations; still from Hannah Montana
Mix up: Musso claimed he was not drunk and said police arrested him over outstanding traffic warrants, which he claimed was a misunderstanding. He said they were paid off after his arrest; seen in 2018 in Hollywood
He claimed their unpaid status was a simple misunderstanding.
“I haven’t lived in Rockwall for years and I think they sent it to my old house there,” he said. “And it had become an order and they used it against me. So since then all those warrants have been paid and the case has been solved.’
“The truth will come out,” Musso continued. “I’ve never stolen anything in my life, nor have I stolen any chips, nor was I drunk or intoxicated or drunk or inappropriate to anyone in that hotel.”
He added that he “loved his hometown” but said it was “really sad that it has come to this.”