Al Gore's son makes bail, faces drug charges

July 5, 2007

Santa Ana, California - Al Gore III, Former Vice President Al Gore's son, was arrested in Los Angeles early Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession after he was stopped for speeding, according to a sheriff's department spokesman.

Al Gore III, Former Vice President Al Gore's son, was arrested in Los Angeles early Wednesday after he was stopped for speeding, according to a sheriff's department spokesman.

Gore's son is getting treatment following his arrest, according to a Gore spokesman.

Police found four types of prescription drugs in the car, but Gore did not have a prescription for any of them, according to Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino. He also said a small amount of marijuana was found in the car.

In an appearance on NBC's "Today Show" Thursday, former Vice President Al Gore said the family is dealing with the incident "as a private family matter."

"We love him very much," the elder Gore said.

Gore III was released on bail Wednesday afternoon.

According to Amormino, Gore was driving south about 2:15 a.m. in his Toyota Prius, going 100 mph on the San Diego Freeway, when authorities stopped him. Watch Gore leave jail without comment »

Amormino said a deputy smelled marijuana and searched his car, finding less than an ounce of pot, but also the prescription drugs Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall.

He said Gore did not have prescriptions for any of the drugs found in his possession.

"He did admit to smoking ... some marijuana shortly before the stop," Amormino told reporters in a brief news conference.

Gore had been booked into the Inmate Reception Center in Santa Ana on $20,000 bail. He faces three felony drug possession charges and one misdemeanor possession charge.

Amormino said the former vice president's son was not charged with driving under the influence because a drug expert determined he was not impaired.

He said Gore was "very cooperative" and was "taken into custody without incident."

The arrest comes just days before Gore's father hosts an international concert to combat global warming.

The younger Gore has run afoul of the law before, including a previous arrest on a marijuana possession charge in 2003. In that case, police in Montgomery County, Maryland, pulled Gore over for not using his headlights. As with Wednesday's incident, the officer "smelled the odor of marijuana coming from inside the car," according to police.

In a 2004 plea deal, Gore was sentenced to a substance abuse program.

In August 2000, North Carolina police charged Gore with reckless driving and speeding for driving 94 mph in a 55 mph zone. The reckless driving charges were later dropped, but he was fined $125 for speeding and his driving privileges in the state were suspended.

In September 2002, military police ticketed him for drunken driving near a military base in Virginia. He was not taken into custody at that time.