Editing Leif Garrett (section)

===Legal troubles===
Garrett admitted that he started using drugs when he was 14.<ref name="biography.com"/> On November 3, 1979, five days before his 18th birthday, he crashed a [[Porsche 914]] that was being leased to his mother<ref name="latimes1987">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-07-22-me-3315-story.html |title=Man Gets $6 Million in Settlement of Bad-Faith Suit Against Insurer – latimes |website=Los Angeles Times |date=July 22, 1987 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> after a midnight party while he was driving to buy more cocaine. His [[blood alcohol level]] was three times over the legal limit of that time and place,<ref>{{cite web|last=Kimble |first=Mark |url=http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/1999/01/14/213430-calendar/ |title=CALENDAR – Tucson Citizen Morgue, Part 2 (1993–2009) |website=TucsonCitizen.com |date=January 14, 1999 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> and he was high on [[quaaludes]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/FallConcert/leif-garrett-talks-life-post-stardom-drug-alcohol/story?id=11922158 |title=So There You Are: Leif Garrett Talks About Life Post-Stardom and His Drug and Alcohol Addiction|work=ABC News |date=October 19, 2010 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> The accident left his passenger and friend, Roland Winkler, a [[paraplegic]].<ref name="cbsnews">[https://archive.today/20130119023248/http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-6170622-504083.html Leif Garrett Arrested.] CBS News. February 3, 2010</ref> Garrett had only met Winkler about a month earlier.<ref>Garrett, Leif ''Idol Truth'' (2019) p. 177</ref> Neither Garrett nor Winkler was wearing a seatbelt. Garrett was later tried as a juvenile on drunk-driving charges; his driver's license was suspended for a year and he was placed on a year's probation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-27-vw-6406-story.html |title=Tragic Accident Reveals a Family's Strengths – latimes |website=Los Angeles Times |date=May 27, 1985 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> Winkler sued in January 1980, claiming Garrett was at fault in the accident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/12/31/A-jury-ruled-Monday-that-entertainer-Leif-Garrett-was/5318473317200/ |title=A jury ruled Monday that entertainer Leif Garrett was... – UPI Archives |work=United Press International |date=December 31, 1984 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref>

In December 1984, Los Angeles Superior Court ordered Garrett's insurers, Transamerica Insurance Co., to pay $3.9 million to Winkler. Jurors assessed total damages in the civil negligence case at $4,215,500, but subtracted 8% of that amount, or $337,240, on the grounds that Winkler contributed to his own injuries by agreeing to ride in a car with a driver who he knew was drunk. Both Garrett and Winkler admitted in court that they were drunk and had taken depressant drugs; the court heard they had each taken equal amounts of alcohol and drugs that night. The panel ordered Garrett to pay $15,000 in punitive damages, which was not diminished by Winkler's partial responsibility. Winkler's attorney, Edward Steinbrecher, attributed the relatively small punitive damage award to Garrett's testimony that his net worth was only $50,000 to $100,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-01-01-me-10243-story.html |title=Insurers Must Pay Rock Star's Injured Passenger |website=Los Angeles Times |date=January 1, 1985 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> In 1987, Winkler settled for $6&nbsp;million with the Premier Insurance Co., which had insured the firm leasing the Porsche to Garrett's mother.<ref name="latimes1987"/> Garrett and Winkler were reunited in 1999 for an episode of ''[[Behind the Music]]'', where Garrett was relieved to learn that Winkler had no bad feelings towards him and even said that Garrett's actions following the accident had actually saved his life.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2002/09/27/its-a-new-leif-for-former-teen-idol/838eb4b2-d4a0-4ed7-8a8c-e09188339593/|title=It's a New Leif for Former Teen Idol|date=September 27, 2002|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>

Garrett was arrested for possession of cocaine in 1997.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|publisher=MTV |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1441514/leif-garrett-drug-case-dropped-warrant-lifted/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418001328/http://www.mtv.com/news/1441514/leif-garrett-drug-case-dropped-warrant-lifted/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |title=Leif Garrett Drug Case Dropped, Warrant Lifted |date=December 3, 2001 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref>

On June 29, 1999, Los Angeles police arrested Garrett in the [[MacArthur Park]] area after he allegedly tried to buy heroin and cocaine from undercover officers.<ref name= LAT22010>{{cite web|title=Former teen idol Leif Garrett arrested on charge of possession of heroin|date=February 3, 2010| first= Richard |last= Winton| url= http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/02/former-teen-idol-leif-garrrett-arrested-for-possession-of-heroin.html |website= Los Angeles Times}}</ref> In March 2001, a Los Angeles judge issued a warrant for his arrest when he failed to attend court for a progress report required by his 1999 conviction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1441459/leif-garrett-on-the-lam/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418040609/http://www.mtv.com/news/1441459/leif-garrett-on-the-lam/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2016 |title=Leif Garrett on the Lam |publisher=MTV |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> Two days later, the judge lifted the warrant and dropped the 1999 charges after Garrett submitted evidence that he had completed a rehab program.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

In 2004, Garrett was arrested for possession of cocaine.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4887658.stm|title=Jail for former teen star Garrett|date=April 7, 2006 |publisher=BBC|access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref> He pleaded guilty in March 2005 to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics and was placed on probation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4628540.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; US star Garrett faces drug charge |work=[[BBC News]] |date=January 19, 2006 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> When he failed to appear in court in December 2005 for a status report, a warrant was issued for his arrest.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4635296.stm |title= Drug rehab for US actor Garrett |work=[[BBC News]] |date=January 21, 2006 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref>

On January 14, 2006, when Garrett was arrested on a [[Los Angeles Metro Rail]] platform for not having a ticket, police found heroin in his possession.<ref name= LAT22010 /> Because of the outstanding warrant for violating probation in a cocaine-related arrest, he was held without bail. He agreed to join a strict drug-diversion program, and his release from jail was ordered.<ref name="autogenerated2"/>

Garrett dropped out of the rehabilitation program and was taken into custody again on March 30 after a Superior Court commissioner determined he failed several drug tests while staying in a live-in drug diversion program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.com/popculture/leif-garrett-leaves-rehab-enters-jail-1C9433464|title=Leif Garrett leaves rehab, enters jail|work=Today.com|date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/people/exteen-idol-given-jail-term/2006/05/12/1146940709469.html |title=Ex-teen idol given jail term – People – Entertainment |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=May 12, 2006 |access-date=July 7, 2016}}</ref> Garrett acknowledged he needed more help. On May 11, after failing to complete court-ordered drug rehabilitation, he was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years' probation.<ref name="crime">{{cite web| url= http://crime.about.com/od/famousdiduno/ig/celebrity_mugshots/leif_garrett.htm| title= Leif Garrett Charged With Possession of Heroin| publisher= About.com| access-date= March 24, 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120205153455/http://crime.about.com/od/famousdiduno/ig/celebrity_mugshots/leif_garrett.htm| archive-date= February 5, 2012| url-status= dead}}</ref> He was given credit for the jail time he had already served since March 30.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.com/celebrity/leif-garrett-gets-3-months-behind-bars/|title=Leif Garrett Gets 3 Months Behind Bars|date=May 12, 2006|work=People|access-date=April 24, 2017}}</ref>

On February 1, 2010, Garrett was arrested again for possession of narcotics.<ref name= LAT22010 /> After denying having any drugs in his possession, he finally admitted to police that he had [[black tar heroin]] in his shoe.<ref name="TMZtar">[http://www.tmz.com/2010/02/03/cops-leif-garrett-had-black-tar-heroin/ Leif Garrett Had Black Tar Heroin in Shoe], TMZ.com. February 3, 2010</ref> He posted $10,000 bail and was charged with a felony count of heroin possession.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8497527.stm|work=BBC News| title=Actor Garrett faces heroin charge| date= February 4, 2010|access-date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> On October 18, 2010, he pleaded no contest to heroin possession in Los Angeles and entered a court-ordered rehabilitation program.<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/leif-garrett-sentenced-to-rehab-for-heroin-possession/ |title= Leif Garrett Sentenced to Rehab for Heroin Possession |publisher= Fox News Channel |date=October 15, 2010}}</ref>