Jonathan Taylor Thomas Arrested, Accused of Kicking Deputy at DUI Stop

• Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 45, was arrested early Monday, Sept. 21, after a traffic stop in Westlake Village, California, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said.
• Deputies say the Home Improvement star, a passenger in the car, kicked a deputy in the stomach during a DUI investigation of the driver.
• He was booked on suspicion of felony obstruction, resisting an officer and public intoxication, and released the next day. No charges have been filed.

A ’90s heartthrob who left Hollywood behind is facing a possible felony. Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 45, the Home Improvement star, was arrested around 12:30 a.m. Monday (Sept. 21) during a traffic stop in Westlake Village, California, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

He was not driving. Deputies say they pulled alongside a car stopped at a green light at Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road, blocking traffic, and found a driver who “appeared to be intoxicated.” Thomas was in the passenger seat.

What happened during Jonathan Taylor Thomas’ arrest?

While deputies ran sobriety tests on the driver, Thomas “continually exited the vehicle and approached the deputies, distracting them from their investigation,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

“Deputies attempted to detain (Thomas) for obstruction and public intoxication, at which point, (Thomas) kicked a deputy in the stomach.”

— Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

He was taken to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and booked at 1:50 a.m., according to jail records. He was released Tuesday, Sept. 22, at noon. The driver, whose name has not been released, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Thomas has not commented publicly on the arrest, and the sheriff’s account is the only one on record.

What is Jonathan Taylor Thomas charged with?

Nothing yet. An arrest “on suspicion” is the deputies’ call; the charge is the prosecutor’s. Jail records list felony obstruction and resisting an executive officer, plus public intoxication. The sheriff’s department says it will send the case to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for a filing decision.

In California, resisting an executive officer — using force or threats against an officer doing their job — is a “wobbler” under Penal Code Section 69.

Prosecutors can file it as a felony, which carries up to three years, or as a misdemeanor, with up to a year in county jail. Public intoxication is a misdemeanor.

That choice is the next real step in the case: whether prosecutors file at all, and at which level.

Where has Jonathan Taylor Thomas been?

Out of view. He played Randy Taylor on Home Improvement in the 1990s, voiced young Simba in The Lion King (1994) and starred in Man of the House, Tom and Huck and Wild America, then stepped back from acting.

His last on-screen credit was a 2015 guest spot on Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing, and he directed an episode of the show in 2016. In July, his TV mom, Patricia Richardson, posted a photo with him and co-star Taran Noah Smith on Instagram.

More celebrity arrests and court cases are in our Celebrities section, including the fight over Dolly Parton’s estate and her nephew and Carrot Top’s legal fight. His page is here.

— Bruno Monteiro

Sources: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department statements, Sept. 23, 2026, as reported by NBC News, NBC Los Angeles (Dennis Broad, Jonathan Lloyd), TODAY (Liz Calvario, Joe Kottke) and The Washington Times; Los Angeles County jail records; California Penal Code Sections 69 and 647(f); KTLA 5. First reported by TMZ. Photos: frames from KTLA 5’s report, Sept. 23, 2026.