WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Former Home Improvement star Jonathan Taylor Thomas was arrested after a traffic stop in Westlake Village, California, on Monday, Sept. 21, during which Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies said he interfered with a DUI investigation and allegedly kicked a deputy.
Thomas, 45, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped near Westlake Boulevard and Townsgate Road shortly after midnight, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and reporting based on jail and arrest records.
The sheriff’s department said deputies initially encountered the vehicle because it was stopped at an intersection while the traffic light was green, blocking traffic. Deputies then began investigating the driver after determining that the person behind the wheel appeared to be intoxicated.
Thomas was not the driver.
What happened during the traffic stop
According to the law-enforcement account reported by ABC7 Los Angeles, NBC Los Angeles, and other outlets, Thomas was sitting in the passenger seat while deputies conducted field sobriety testing on the driver.
Deputies said Thomas appeared intoxicated and repeatedly got out of the vehicle and approached them while they were conducting the investigation.
The sheriff’s department said deputies attempted to detain Thomas for obstruction and public intoxication. Authorities also allege that he kicked one of the deputies in the stomach during the encounter.
Those allegations have not been established in court.
Thomas was subsequently taken to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station in Agoura Hills and booked. Jail records cited in local and national reporting indicate that he remained in custody for more than a day before being released.
The driver of the vehicle was separately arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol.
No criminal charges had been filed
The legal status of the case is an important distinction.
Although Thomas was arrested and booked on suspicion of obstruction and public intoxication, the latest reports indicate that prosecutors had not filed formal criminal charges against him as of Sept. 24.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said the case would be submitted to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.
That means the allegations described by authorities have not resulted in a criminal conviction or a court finding against Thomas.
An arrest itself is not proof that a person committed a crime.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the initial booking information included a felony-level obstruction classification and that Thomas was later released. The newspaper also reported that the incident had been treated in later records as a detention rather than a continuing criminal case at that stage.
Because the prosecutorial review remained unresolved in the latest reporting, the eventual legal outcome was not yet known.
Thomas was a passenger, not the driver
The traffic stop began as an investigation involving the driver of the vehicle.
According to authorities, deputies believed the driver appeared intoxicated and began a DUI investigation. Thomas was in the passenger seat.
The sheriff’s department said his subsequent behavior interfered with that investigation.
The driver was also taken into custody on suspicion of DUI. Authorities have not publicly identified that person in the reports reviewed for this story.
A return to the headlines for a former child star
Thomas became one of the most recognizable young actors on American television during the 1990s.
He played Randy Taylor, one of the sons of Tim Allen’s character on ABC’s Home Improvement, which ran from 1991 through 1999.
Thomas also provided the voice of young Simba in Disney’s 1994 animated film The Lion King. His other film credits from the 1990s included Man of the House, Tom and Huck and The Adventures of Pinocchio.
After years as a prominent child and teenage actor, Thomas stepped away from regular Hollywood work and focused on his education and other interests.
His later acting work was limited. He appeared on Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and directed an episode of the series.
Thomas has generally maintained a low public profile in recent years.
Recent reunion with Home Improvement cast members
The arrest comes only months after Thomas appeared publicly with former Home Improvement cast members.
In July, Patricia Richardson, who played Jill Taylor on the sitcom, shared a photograph showing herself with Thomas and Taran Noah Smith, who played Mark Taylor.
The reunion attracted attention because Thomas has largely remained out of the entertainment spotlight since leaving regular acting.
There is no indication that the reunion was connected to the September traffic-stop incident.
What happens next
The next significant development will depend on the prosecutor’s review of the case.
The sheriff’s department said the matter would be submitted for filing consideration. If prosecutors file charges, subsequent court records would establish the formal allegations and provide additional information about the case.
If charges are not filed, the arrest would not by itself establish criminal liability.
Thomas has not publicly addressed the allegations in the latest reports reviewed for this article. Representatives for the actor were contacted by several news organizations, but no public response from Thomas was reported.
For now, the confirmed public record concerns a Sept. 21 traffic stop, Thomas’s detention and booking, allegations by sheriff’s deputies involving obstruction and public intoxication, and his subsequent release.
The case remains subject to prosecutorial review, and its legal outcome has not been established.
This story may be updated as new information becomes available.
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