Amanda Bynes pleaded not guilty to two counts of hit-and-run on Thursday, marking just the latest development in a string of driving-related troubles for the actress over the past several months.
Bynes, whose career launched on Nickelodeon and on the TV sitcom What I Like About You, has starred in such films as Easy A, Hairspray, What a Girl Wants and She's the Man. But over the past several months, the 26-year-old has generated more headlines for her legal issues than her acting.
Below is a timeline of her recent woes:
March 7, 2012: Bynes is pulled over for allegedly talking on her cell phone. She then allegedly fled the scene before the officer finished writing her ticket. She wasn't arrested and reportedly went to the police station later that day to sign her ticket.
April 4, 2012: Bynes is arrested for DUI. The 26-year-old actress is reportedly pulled over around 3 a.m. in West Hollywood after trying to pass a police car in her BMW and side-swiping the vehicle. Bynes allegedly refuses to take a Breathalyzer or drug test at the scene of the accident and is taken into custody. She is released from jail at 10:30 a.m. Her bail had been set at $5,000.
June 5, 2012: Bynes is charged with driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs in relation to her April arrest. Immediately following her hearing, Bynes takes to Twitter to enlist the help of President Obama. “I don’t drink,” she writes in a tweet addressed to @BarackObama. “Please fire the cop who arrested me. I also don’t hit and run. The end.”
June 6, 2012: Bynes pleads not guilty to driving under the influence. She does not appear in Beverly Hills Superior Court but dispatches her attorney. She faces a maximum of six months in jail.
August 4, 2012: Bynes allegedly rear-ends a driver on L.A.'s Ventura Boulevard, inflicting $800 worth of damage; according to what the driver told police, Bynes sees no problem with the car and drives away without exchanging insurance information or allowing for a police call to assess the situation. Bynes argues that the two both agreed there was minimal damage.
Sept. 4, 2012: Bynes is charged with hit-and-run in connection with the April and August crashes.
Sept. 6, 2012: A city attorney's spokesperson tells the Los Angeles Times that Bynes faces up to a year in jail for her two hit-and-run accidents. The same day, the California Department of Motor Vehicles suspends Bynes driver's license.
Sept. 16, 2012: Bynes' black BMW is impounded after she is pulled over and cited for driving with a suspended license.
Sept. 21, 2012: Bynes is charged with driving on a suspended license.
Sept. 27, 2012: Bynes pleads not guilty to two counts of hit-and-run and is due back in court Oct. 19, according to TMZ. If convicted on both counts, she reportedly faces up to a year in jail.
