EXCLUSIVE: Inside One of Hollywood's Most Insane Stories — How 'Little House on the Prairie' Star Helped Wildman Jim Morrison Go On the Run From Cops During Crazed Road Trip
A 'Little House' star helped rocker Jim Morrison flee police during a chaotic road trip.
Dec. 6 2025, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
In what is being labelled one of showbiz's most unhinged tales, RadarOnline.com can reveal the truth about how family-friendly actress Charlotte Stewart helped Jim Morrison slip out of sight as Florida authorities pursued him – a chaotic and unlikely escape that sent the Little House on the Prairie star and the unhinged Doors frontman on a four-day dash up the Pacific Coast.
Before finding fame as Miss Beadle on the cozy 1970s family drama Little House, Stewart found herself at the center of a real-life fugitive tale.
'I Gotta Get Out of Town'
Charlotte Stewart helped Jim Morrison slip out of sight as Florida authorities pursued him
In 1969, Morrison, then 25, returned to California after the Dade County Sheriff's Office issued a warrant for his arrest on charges of indecent exposure and public profanity following his controversial Miami concert.
Stewart said he approached her in a panic. "He came up to me and said, 'I gotta get out of town,'" she recalled. On impulse, she agreed to join him, setting into motion a journey she would document on her Super 8 camera.
Stewart said the pair simply got in Morrison's car and sped north along Highway 1, without much of a plan beyond putting distance between the singer and the authorities.
"You have to remember, this was a very serious offense in Florida," she added. "He was facing trial. So he came up to me and said, 'I gotta get out of town. You want to go?'
"I said, 'Sure.' We jumped in the car, and he didn't know where he wanted to go, so I directed him up Highway 1, which follows the Pacific Ocean all the way to Washington and Oregon. We just drove – stopping at bars along the way and staying overnight at motels."
The Trusted Confidante
Morrison asked her to help him get out of town after his Miami arrest warrant was issued.
Those close to Stewart say her calm presence helped Morrison steady himself at a moment when he feared a prison sentence.
A source said: "Jim was unraveling. He trusted Charlotte because she didn't ask questions – she just helped him disappear for a few days."
Another friend added: "He didn't know who else to turn to. Charlotte became the one person he felt safe with while everything around him was exploding."
Stewart said Morrison's scruffy appearance meant most people they encountered had no idea they were in the presence of a rock star.
Morrison 'Looked Like a Bum'
Stewart said she cried when she later learned of Morrison’s death in 1971.
"They didn't even know who he was because, at the time, he had a full beard and really didn't take care of it," she said.
"He looked like a bum. But I introduced him to my friends, and they didn't have a clue it was Jim Morrison."
She also recalled taking him to Hearst Castle, where she was photographed eating a hot dog, with Morrison keeping a low profile nearby.
After four days on the road, the pair headed back to Los Angeles.
"We had to go back to Los Angeles," she said. "He dropped me off at my store, and we said goodbye. I never saw him again."
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The Heartbreak of His Death
Morrison dropped her off in Los Angeles before they went their separate ways.
Morrison later received a six-month sentence for the Miami misdemeanors but died in Paris in 1971, aged 27, before serving any time.
"The fact that he trusted me at the worst time in his life when he was facing jail time – I will always cherish that," Stewart said. "He knew he was going to have to fly back to Florida and face trial. And then he was gone."
Stewart said she was devastated when word of mercurial rocker Morrison's death finally reached her.
"I was heartbroken," she said. "I left the room, sat on the staircase, and just cried."
