One of America’s most famous reality TV stars, 17-year-old Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson, was the passenger in a car that fled Monroe County deputies on Tuesday before the driver and male passenger were finally caught and arrested for drugs, DUI and outstanding warrants.
Honey Boo Boo was not charged and is only a witness in the case, said Monroe County Lt. John Thompson. Here’s what happened, according to Thompson: It started around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday when Monroe County Cpl. Jaleel Brown ran the tag of a Dodge Charger in front of the Shell station on Hwy. 42. The car’s owner came back as wanted so Brown tried to make a traffic stop. The driver sped north on Hwy. 42 and Brown gave chase that continued about 3 miles. He finally used a PIT maneuver to spin the car and disable it on Hwy. 42 near Hickman Road.
Brown found some marijuana and the driver, Dralin Carswell, 21, was arrested for DUI-drugs, fleeing and also on outstanding warrants out of Wilkinson County. Another male passenger, Julian Malik Divon Williams, 24, was arrested on outstanding warrants. They were taken to the Monroe County Jail. Authorities said Honey Boo Boo was picked up at the scene by her sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon.
While originally from nearby Irwinton, Honey Boo Boo and her equally famous mother, Mama June, have been filming their show, “Road to Redemption” in Monroe County for a number of years. The crew reportedly rents a north Monroe County home for $7,500 per month to film there. Honey Boo Boo and Mama June Shannon have also filmed episodes in local stores including The Old Mill Market last June. The mother and daughter duo rose to fame when Thompson was young and Shannon enlisted her in beauty pageants.