Al Gore’s son was charged Friday with possessing marijuana and other drugs that authorities say were discovered in his car after he was pulled over this month for speeding.
Al Gore III, 24, is free on $20,000 bail and scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1 in Superior Court in Laguna Niguel.
He faces two felony counts of drug possession, two misdemeanor counts of drug possession without a prescription and one misdemeanor count of marijuana possession, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. Gore also was charged with a traffic infraction for allegedly driving faster than 100 miles per hour.
Prosecutors said he could be sentenced to a maximum of three years and eight months in prison if convicted on all counts, though he might be eligible for a drug treatment program instead of prison.
Kalee Kreider, a spokeswoman for Gore’s parents, said the family had no comment.
The charges stem from July 4, when Orange County sheriff’s deputies say they pulled Gore over for speeding.
Second drug arrest
Gore was allegedly driving a 2006 blue Toyota Prius at about 100 mph. Upon searching the car, deputies say they discovered less than an ounce of marijuana and a variety of medications — including Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall. Authorities said Gore did not have a prescription for any of those medications.
The son of the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee was previously arrested for marijuana possession in Maryland in 2003, when he was a student at Harvard University. Gore completed substance abuse counseling to settle those charges.
Gore is the youngest of Tipper and Al Gore’s four children. He now lives in Los Angeles and is an associate publisher of GOOD, a magazine about philanthropy and aimed at young people.