Wobbly Arrest for 'Witchblade' Star

By Rachel F. Elson

Monday November 24, 2003 10:39 AM EST

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Former "Witchblade" star Yancy Butler may still be battling her demons. The actress was picked up and charged Saturday with disorderly intoxication after she was found wandering in and out of traffic, forcing cars to swerve around her, police in Florida told the Associated Press.

Butler, 33, who starred in the now-defunct TNT sci-fi series, told authorities she was an alcoholic who was on medication, and police first took her to a local substance abuse center. But when Butler became hostile and began to struggle, the foundation declined to admit her, and the officers handcuffed Butler and took her to Palm Beach County Jail, charging her with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence.

It was not immediately clear whether she had posted bail. A court hearing was scheduled for Dec. 18.

Butler (whose father, Joe, was the drummer for '60s band the Lovin' Spoonful) has been bedeviled by her drinking before.

In 2002, "Witchblade" filming was put on a three-week hiatus to await the actress's emergence from an alcohol rehab program. And in January, Butler was arrested after a fight at her uncle's home on New York's Long Island, AP notes. According to a judge's ruling in March, charges in that case were to be dismissed if she stayed out of trouble with the law for a full year.