Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Alex Jones: Conspiracy theorist arrested for DWI in Texas

Authorities stop InfoWars founder at wheel in early hours

Richard Hall,Zoe Tidman
Tuesday 10 March 2020 20:14 GMT
Comments
Alex Jones on InfoWars: There's a Deep State coup planning to kill the President

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been arrested for driving while intoxicated in Texas.

The founder of far-right outlet InfoWars was stopped at the wheel in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to local media reports.

The 46-year-old was reportedly released from custody in Travis County, Texas, shortly after 4am, with bail set at $3,000 (£2,300).

Court records showed that Mr Jones had a “strong odour of alcohol” coming off him, according to the Associated Press.

He was arrested on a misdemeanour charge of driving while under the influence and released a few hours later, authorities said.

Police were reportedly called to Mr Jones’ residence by his wife after an argument.

Mr Jones — whose InfoWars site is known for spreading conspiracy theories — is thought driven to another property following the alleged argument.

An InfoWars article claimed that Mr Jones “admitted to drinking a small about of sake” at a restaurant before the arrest, but was below the legal drink-drive limit.

The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08 in Texas, and court records showed Mr Jones’ level was recorded at 0.076 and 0.079, according to AP.

Last year, Mr Jones was ordered to pay $100,000 in legal fees to a father of a Sandy Hook victim in a defamation case.

The conspiracy theorist has falsely claimed that the 2012 mass school shooting was a hoax.

His far-right InfoWars outlet has faced bans from social media sites for violating policies, including for spreading conspiracy theories.

Associated Press

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in