‘Fixer Upper’ Booze Bust! Joanna Gaines’ Brother-In-Law Arrested For Drunk Driving
HGTV stars Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines have been hiding a humiliating family secret: RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that Joanna’s brother-in-law, Timothy Criswell, was previously charged with driving while intoxicated – after getting pulled over in his own driveway!
Timothy is married to Fixer Upper star Joanna’s sister, Teresa, who frequently appears on Joanna's blog, Instagram and more of her social media platforms.
He was arrested after Madison County Dispatch alerted the Winterset, Iowa police department that there was a potential drunk driver speeding on the highway on April 4, 2008. The responding officer noted that he found the speeding car, and followed it to conduct a traffic stop. Timothy was pulled over for failing to stop at a stop sign.
“I activated my emergency lights in order to conduct a traffic stop,” the officer stated in the police report obtained by RadarOnline.com. “It was later found that the driver…Timothy Ray Criswell, lived a block away from where he was getting pulled over so he just continued to his garage where he stopped his Explorer.”
“I then approached the vehicle where I asked the driver for his license,” the report continued. “The driver identified himself as Timothy Ray Criswell and told me that he was parked in his driveway and he was in his garage and stated that there was no problem, because he was home now. I told Criswell that he was called in as a possible intoxicated driver and that I along with a witness observed him running the stop sign.”
READ The Explosive Arrest Documents
“Criswell then was asked to return to my patrol car where I could talk to him,” the officer reported. “Once in my patrol car I again told Criswell that he was pulled over as a possible intoxicated driver. While talking and listening to Criswell I could smell a very strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from Criswell. I could also see that Criswell’s eye were bloodshot and very watery. Criswell had slurred speech while he was reminding me numerous times that he was already home so there was no issue.”
The officer asked Timothy to perform a sobriety test, but he refused and was taken into custody. Once they arrived to jail, he asked to call his lawyer.
Timothy ultimately refused testing, but signed the testing form. As a result, he was charged with OWI First Offense — refusal and failure to obey a stop sign.
He was found guilty, and was sentenced to pay the maximum fine of $625, plus a 32 percent statutory surcharge and court costs. He also had to pay for the traffic violation court costs.
That isn't the only time the family's had car trouble. Chip, 41, was arrested for stealing his tow truck off a lot in 1998. A “beer bottle and beer can” were found on his vehicle by the Waco police.
Stay with RadarOnline.com for more.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.