Update (5:38pm): Law enforcement officials have determined that Amanda Bynes will not be charged for arson, trespassing, or any other criminal offense in connection with Monday’s incident. Instead, it looks like Bynes will continue to undergo psychological treatment for an unspecified mental illness and could possibly be placed on a conservatorship under her parent’s supervision.
Bonnie Bratten, the owner of the house were Bynes started the fire, told UsMagazine.com, “I have no idea what she was doing. I don’t even think she has an idea what she was doing.”
Amanda Bynes is not in the clear though. She is still under investigation for charges stemming from a DUI in Los Angeles and multiple charges in New York from a May hotel incident.
[divider]
Former Nickelodeon starlet Amanda Bynes has been placed on mental lockdown after setting fire to a driveway in a residential neighborhood in Los Angeles.
Captain Don Aguilar of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced, “Amanda Bynes was involved in a disturbance in a residential neighborhood [Monday] night in Thousand Oaks in the 200-block of Avenida De Los Arboles. Deputies investigated the incident and determined that she met the criteria of 5150 W&I (California Welfare & Institutions Code). She was detained and taken for a mental health evaluation.”
According to the police report, officers responded to a 911 call after a witness noticed Bynes’ pant leg had caught on fire due to the “campfire” on the Thousand Oaks driveway. When police arrived Bynes was reportedly found holding a red gasoline can.
Witness Andrew Liverpool told KABC about the incident on Tuesday saying, “It’s dark, it’s 8:45 and I just see her laying down, stomach up and her pant legs on fire, a trail of, you know, fire and gas, and I pull over.”
Bynes can legally be held on an involuntary psychiatric hold, also known as a 5150, for up to 72 hours.
This is not the first time Bynes has ran into recent legal trouble. This past May Bynes was charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with physical evidence after the 27-year-old actress allegedly threw a bong out of the 36th floor of her apartment in New York City. Previously the same night building officials had called the police after residents of the apartment complex complained of the smell of marijuana and reports of Bynes rolling a joint in the lobby. According to court documents, Bynes threw the bong out of the window in front of the police.
No charges have yet been filed on the recent incident.