Actress Mischa Barton arrested on DUI charge

Actress Mischa Barton was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of drunk driving after she was seen driving erratically in West Hollywood, Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said.

The 21-year-old former star of the television show “The OC” was pulled over in the 900 block of North La Cienega Boulevard at 2:46 a.m. after Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies spotted the Ford Explorer she was driving straddling two traffic lanes, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Hocking. Deputies said she also failed to signal while making a turn.

Barton was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving after failing a field sobriety test.

Deputies also said they found marijuana and an undisclosed controlled substance in the sport utility vehicle. She also did not have a license to drive, Hocking said.

Barton was booked into the sheriff’s West Hollywood station at 3:10 a.m. and released eight hours later on $10,000 bail.

One of Hollywood’s most recognizable young stars, Barton appeared in the film “The Sixth Sense” but is best known for her role as Marissa Cooper in “The OC,” a drama that follows four wealthy Newport Beach teenagers and the triumphs and travails of high-school life.

In the show’s third season in 2006, Barton’s character died after the sport utility vehicle she was riding in ran off the road and crashed.

She is a fixture in fashion magazines and has been a spokesmodel for Neutrogena and the Bebe clothing line.

Her arrest on Thursday capped a year in which young Hollywood was in the news for drunk driving cases.

Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton all served jail time in drunk-driving-related cases.

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andrew.blankstein@ latimes.com