Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson was the passenger of a three-mile police car chase involving her boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, who was later arrested for DUI, fleeing police, and outstanding warrants, according to reports. Monroe County, Georgia, police say the 17-year-old reality star was not charged and is only a witness in the ongoing case.
According to the local outlet The Reporter, Carswell, 21, was arrested for DUI, fleeing, failing to maintain lanes, and following too closely. Another passenger, Julian Malik Divon Williams, 24, was also arrested on outstanding warrants. Thompson’s sister Lauryn “Pumpkin” Shannon, who has sole custody of the teen, reportedly picked her up at Monroe County Jail.
After the news broke, Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Lt. John Thompson confirmed reports of the incident occurring around 4:30 p.m. on February 28. An Officer ran the tag of a Dodge Charger in front of a gas station on Highway 24, where it was confirmed the owner had warrants under his name.
The vehicle sped north when the officer attempted to make a traffic stop. According to the officers, using a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver, which snet the car spinning and disabled near Hickman Road.
The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star has dated Carswell for two years, keeping her relationship under wraps outside of a few interview quotes.
When speaking to Teen Vogue, she revealed her boyfriend might be her “only friend” since she doesn’t trust people her age. “To be honest, I do not have many friends. At all,” she said. “Because I feel like folks are so much like, ‘Oh, my God, I’m friends with Honey Boo Boo.” She added, “I don’t trust nobody really, so I don’t have friends.”
The couple have been criticized online for the four-year gap in their relationship, especially since Thompson is still technically a minor. In an interview, Thompson’s mom, June “Mama June” Shannon, spoke about the relationship.
“Yes, I’ve met Dralin. They’ve been together for over a year,” the Mama June: From Not to Hot star told TooFab. “People need to realize that she’s going to be 17 in August and that Pumpkin and Josh were the same age as they were.”
She continued, “She is getting a lot of hate because she’s in an interracial relationship, he is older. But at the end of the day, Alana’s not that 6-, 7-year-old child y’all fell in love with 11 years ago. Alana has grown up, she’s graduating high school next year, guys!”