Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - 'Drunk' TV Star CRASHES, Curses EMTs Over $$ Blouse, Now Blames Crash Victim

Episode Date: April 6, 2024

"General Hospital” star Haley Pullos, charged after a wrong-way crash, is now saying she was not responsible for the damages caused to one of the other drivers.  Pullos is charged with driving under the influence after her car flew over the dividing barrier, and into oncoming traffic. She careened off one car and collided head-on with another car that was going about 60 mph. Police reportedly recovered marijuana edibles and alcohol from the actress’ car. Firefighters had to use "the jaws of life" to free Pullos from her car. That's when the "General Hospital" actress lashed out at the responders shouting, “This is a $400 f**king shirt!” Now the actress is claiming she was not responsible for the damages that crash victim Courtney Wilder allegedly received. Documents filed by Pullos’ legal team say Pullos denied all the allegations levied against her in the lawsuit and went on to say the damages were caused by negligence or content of Wilder.      Joining Nancy Grace Today:  Jarrett Ferentino- Homicide Prosecutor, Facebook & Instagram: Jarrett Ferentino Dr. Shari Schwartz- Forensic Psychologist (specializing in Capital Mitigation and Victim Advocacy); Twitter: @TrialDoc; Author: "Criminal Behavior" and "Where Law and Psychology Intersect: Issues in Legal Psychology" Robert Crispin - Private Investigator: “Crispin Special Investigations;" Former Federal Task Force Officer for United States Department of Justice, DEA and Miami Field Division; Former Homicide and Crimes Against Children Investigator; Facebook: Crispin Special Investigations, Inc. Sheryl McCollum- Cold Case Investigative Research Institute Founder; Former Georgia State Director with Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD); Host of new podcast: "Zone 7;" X: @149zone7 Joseph Tremblay - Senior Forensic Engineer and Accident Reconstructionist, Veritech Consulting Engineering Jen Smith - DailyMail.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Okay, you're never going to believe this. The soap opera star who is responsible for a horrific car crash, driving the wrong way on a freeway while drunk, actually is blaming the victims. When cops tried to help her at the scene of her second crash that night,

she actually cursed them out for touching her $400 blouse. You know what, woman? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thanks for being with us here at Crime Stories and on SiriusXM 111. That's right. The soap opera star Haley Poulos now claims the victim is to blame in the nightmare car crash she caused.

She claims the crash was Courtney Wilder's fault and wants the court to throw out the case. She denies responsibility for a traumatic highway crash, even though she was allegedly drunk driving on the wrong side of the road on the freeway. But now she claims the man whose car she plowed into is to blame. Okay, now this is despite her attempt to get a plea. That means plead guilty, say I did it, to DUI charges. In fact, she hit the other car so hard,

she had to be extracted from the mangled up wreck of her car with the jaws of life by firefighters right there on the 134 freeway in Pasadena. Now, catch this. She was involved in a separate hit and run just before that crash and was driving on the wrong side of the interstate. This woman. How did the whole thing unfold? This woman, Haley Poulos, spotted driving to a luxury, nearly $3,000 a night, Malibu rehab after she plows her vehicle wrong way on the interstate. Can you imagine how fast they were going? All the while we know the head-on collision was preceded by another hit and run, where the actress allegedly rammed into another person, took off,

and then plows in to this victim on the interstate. The DUI crash seemingly has no consequences because she is lounging right now at a Malibu rehab that offers gourmet dining, hot tub, yoga, horseback riding, fishing, beach access, and off-site activities during treatment. I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thanks for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. First of all, take a listen to our friends at ABC and KTLA. General Hospital star Haley Poulos has been arrested for an alleged DUI, accused of causing a major freeway wreck.

The incident happened on the 134 in Pasadena, where the CHP says she entered the freeway into oncoming traffic. She collided head-on with another car, destroying both vehicles. Poulos was hospitalized, where she was then arrested for DUI. The driver of the other car was also hospitalized with major injuries. Police say Poulos was also involved in a hit-and-run crash before the freeway accident. According to Soap Opera Digest, the show has temporarily recast her character. She was arrested at the hospital and faces DUI charges.

Wait, excuse me. To Jen Smith, chief investigative reporter with dailymail.com the soap opera digest no offense their banner their headline is her part has been recast what about the victims two victims i believe in one day jen yeah and look i think i might be able to explain why that's what they headlined on, Nancy, and it's because when they reached out to Hayley Kulos, they heard about this crash, she just said to them, I was involved in a car accident, I'm okay, I just need some time to recover. She failed to mention the fact that the reason she was involved in a crash is because she was driving drunk,

possibly under the influence of drugs, and had hit not one but two cars like you mentioned. Okay, I'm going to read it verbatim because it's just so, it's so incredulous. It's hard to believe. She plows into not one but two victims, and correct me if I'm wrong, I think she was going wrong way, drunk or on drugs, on the interstate and plows into somebody just after another hit and run. She hit and she ran and then has a head-on collision. Quote, this is from Soap Opera Digest. I hope you're sitting down.

Quote, unfortunately, I was involved in an automobile accident. What? She's either drunk or high on something, according to prosecutors. I mean a snootful. And this is I was involved in an automobile accident. Somebody wrote this for her and I'm doing okay, but I'm going to need a little time to recover. In your Malibu rehab? Seriously? Doing yoga, hot tub, gourmet dining, horseback riding, fishing, beach access, and off-site activities? What? Okay, wait. I will be back as soon as possible! Exclamation. Okay, just let that sink in. Joining me in addition to Jen Smith, chief reporter, DailyMail.com, the former president of Georgia MAD, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, founder, director, Cold Case Research Institute, and star of a new hit podcast, Zone 7. And Cheryl McCollum, the gall to say, I'll be back as soon as possible.

What? Nancy, she's busy. I mean, she's got to take some time with all the horseback riding, fishing, yoga, and going to the beach. I mean, she's not even going to have time to detox. The biggest banner is she's been recast. Jen Smith, I'm just trying to figure out

what exactly happened. First, I want to get to figure out what exactly happened. First, I want to get to the wrong way on the interstate, because interstate to me means 75 MPH at best. And how do you do a head on collision on the interstate? Everybody's supposed to be going the same way. Yeah, I mean, this happened around 1.30 in the morning. Now, what we know, according to the police report so far, is that she was driving on this freeway. She swerved. She clears the dividing barrier and crashes into a car traveling on the opposite direction head on at what we know so far

is 60 miles per hour, definitely fast enough to cause some serious damage. And the driver of that car was taken to the hospital with severe injury. Wait, did you say impact? Was it 60 MPH? That's it. This car is where the victim's car was traveling at at least 60 miles per hour when she crashed into it driving in the wrong direction. Joining me right now, Joseph Tremblay, Senior Forensic Engineer and Accident Reconstructionist with Veritech Consulting Engineering. And you can find him at veritecheng.com, veritechengineering.com.

Joseph, thanks for being with us. Thanks for having me. What do all of these numbers and the speeds and going across the median, which actually may have reduced her speed somewhat. What do you make of this? What happened? Well, the way I understand it, and I'm taking some of this directly from Daily Mail, was that she was initially traveling westbound on Highway 134 and was involved in an accident that was less severe with an Oldsmobile driver, potentially causing her to redirect in a direction that would cause

her to launch over the median barrier and then become traveling in the oncoming traffic lane on the eastbound side. And then at that point, she contacted the Kia that was driven by the 23-year-old male. One thing I did find interesting about these photographs that were provided by the responding emergency personnel was that the point of rest for both of these vehicles was all the way over on the right side of the road, which means that she probably was airborne and traveling across the entire highway before she contacted this Kia. The damage to both vehicles is severe. It appears that it is a front end impact biased a little bit towards the driver's side of both vehicles. But the damage is significant all the way from the front bumper through the occupant compartment.

And one thing I did read on one of these news articles is that she had to be extricated with the jaws of life. Well, that's exactly my thinking. In fact, Joseph Tremblay, why do you have to use the jaws of life? Well, in severe accidents like this one, what ends up happening from the impact crush that occurs to the vehicle is that a lot of times the occupant compartment, the area where the driver sits, becomes so damaged that the front end of the vehicle, the bumper, and then both doors become so intermingled and entangled together from the impact that you can't get out. The driver, if they do survive a significant impact like this, a lot of times they can't get out of the vehicle.

And that could be because they're injured or because the vehicle itself is just so damaged that they can't get out. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. In the last hours, in a bizarre twist, the soap opera star of General Hospital pleads not guilty to DUI and leaving the scene of the accident, but her lawyers are desperately trying to work a sweet plea deal. And now, just to add the toxic icing on the sour cake, she's claiming the crash was caused by the victim. She is insisting the case be thrown out of court.

And that the victim pay her legal fees. The victim. She is insisting the case be thrown out of court. And that the victim pay her legal fees. She is a good actress. What more do we know? You just heard Joseph Tremblay state that you have to use jaws of life, which they look like giant metal pinchers that actually cut through the metal to extricate someone when the car is so damaged and disfigured. So she's not hurt, Jen Smith. I mean, the last photo I've seen of this woman, her dad is driving her to this luxury treatment

center after a stop at Taco Bell. She has not lost her appetite. She definitely has not lost her appetite. And no, you're quite right. She wasn't seriously injured. Obviously, this was hugely fortunate for her that she was not seriously injured. But we do know a little bit about how she behaved when she was brought out of this vehicle. Now, these emergency personnel, they clearly are risking their own safety, getting people out of these situations. And Nancy, when Hayley Poulos was pulled out of her vehicle, she actually complained to them that she was worried they were going to tear her $400 shirt. She was cursing at these men and women who were saving her, and she was more worried about her clothes.

She was then taken to the hospital, we imagine as a precaution and to be checked over. And that is where the investigating authorities noticed that her speech was blurred. There was alcohol on her breath and they were able to make the determination that she was over the limit. We're not quite sure yet by how much, but after they searched what was, you know, still intact in terms of her car, they found a mini bottle of tequila and and they found marijuana edible. Tequila and pot.

Wow. The car wasn't the only thing airborne. Guys, speaking of her very bad behavior after not one but two crashes, take a listen to Mike Rogers, KCAL. There is a TMZ report that claims that after she was extricated, she was not terribly nice to a firefighter, claiming that, you know, her shirt is worth $400. Don't cut it, despite the fact that she allegedly just caused this pretty bad crash. So the CHP is now investigating this whole thing again. She's been arrested for DUI and driving wrong way on a freeway. Also a criminal

charge. OK, let me get this straight. You know what? Let me go out to you, Robert Crispin. Crispin, private investigator, former federal task force officer for the DOJ, Department of Justice, with DEA in the Miami Field Division, former homicide investigator, now at Crispin Special Investigations. Find him at crispininvestigations.com. Robert Crispin, she cussed out the emergency techs and warned them they better not hurt her $400 blouse. Help me. I've seen it a bunch of times, Nancy. Before becoming a federal agent, I was a city cop. And gosh, I've arrested so many people for DUI. And the reason they're cutting her shirt is because they need to look at her to make sure she doesn't have any bullet holes in her.

Was she shot before the crash? They need to see if there's any other injuries anywhere on her body. That's very typical of a drunk driver to be argumentative. That's one of the telltale signs. Argumentative, odor of alcohol, bloodshot watery eyes, combative, all that. That's all part of the bigger picture. I mean, you know, Dr. Sherry Schwartz joining us, forensic psychologist specializing in capital mitigation. You can find her at PantherMitigation.com.

She's the author of Criminal Behavior and also the author of Where Law and Psychology Intersect Issues in Legal Psychology on Twitter at trial. Dr. Sherry Schwartz, thank you for being with us. Okay, you'd think she would have stopped after the first crash, that hit and run, but no. The thought of stopping and checking on that victim, that did not occur to her. She continued on to have a head on collision with another driver and then have the wherewithal not to ask about, oh, my stars, is that guy hurt? You damn well better not cut my $400 blouse, B. I mean, that's what happened. Yes. And I hope it's on body cam so that everybody can see it in court because that'll be extra special. Wait, is that your

medical diagnosis that will be extra special? Because I really like that. This is, and I do mitigation as you know, Nancy, and these, these are the kinds of crimes that I won't touch because it's completely preventable. And here is someone that has to be removed from her own vehicle with the jaws of life. And I've never seen this happen, but I imagine it takes some time for that to happen. It'll just clamp that thing down and out you come, right? I imagine it takes some time. And during that time, why is she not thinking, oh, oh my goodness, like, am I going to survive? Is the victim going to survive?

You know, am I going to get into trouble? No, she's worried about her $400 blouse. And she was so aggressive, according to what I read, that she had to be sedated at the hospital because she was even aggressive with hospital staff. And what we know, what the psychology research shows us about this type of behavior is that the alcohol tends to amplify trait behavior. So this is somebody who likely has issues with aggression. Jarrett Farentino joining us, veteran homicide prosecutor. You can find him on Facebook and Insta. Jarrett Farentino. Jarrett, really? Tequila and edibles pot. And she's worried about a $400 blouse and becomes abusive,

cursing out the EMTs, trying to get her out of her car with the jaws of life. Well, Nancy, it's Haley's world and we're all just living in it. That's the attitude that I get here. She has alcohol, marijuana, edibles. If it was truly a hit and run too, I mean, she could have been, and the details of this haven't come out, she could have been blacked out behind the wheel. So she got to a point where she is so out of her mind on whatever she's intoxicated on that she is not even in touch with reality, has the hit and run, careens into the oncoming lane, and causes these very, very bad injuries to this young man. So her conduct before is a series of bad decisions. If she wasn't passed out, it was a hit and run.

She didn't render aid to somebody and she careens into that oncoming lane. It's one intentional act and bad decision after another by Haley. And then after the accident, mistreats emergency personnel and was combative at the hospital. Just a bad actress all the way around. Nancy, can I just wonder what those EMTs have to say. No good deed goes unpunished. Is that Cheryl McCollum jumping in? Yes, ma'am.

Go ahead. But I just want to tell you, before you say one more word, as your lawyer, let me advise you that Poulos' stay at the Malibu rehab could cost nearly $30,000. Okay. Okay. Go ahead. Alcohol makes you more of who you are. So if you drink and want to fight everybody in the bar, that's who you are. If you get drunk and want to sleep with a perfect stranger, that's who you are at your core.

Alcohol does not change you. Most people drink so they can do these things. So like when a woman says, oh, he's good to me until he starts drinking and then he beats me. No, he drinks so he can beat you. So there's a difference when you look at somebody that has caused thousands of dollars worth of damage in these vehicles, caused thousands of dollars worth of, you know, rescue equipment in that time. And she's worried about a $400 shirt. And everybody loves firefighters. They know how to defuse a situation. They call you by your first name. They try to calm you down. They are literally only there to help you. And you're going to try to punch one of them?

That's who you are. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. In the last days, General Hospital Hospital soap opera star, Haley Poulos, who caused a horrible crash driving under the influence and going the wrong way on the interstate, right after a separate hit-and-run incident, now blames the victim. What happened? Cheryl McCollum, you mentioned earlier that very often people behave when they're drunk the way that they secretly want to behave.

Why does everybody have to get drunk and then attack the cop, or in Poulos' case, the firefighter? Well, I mean, I think at that point they can't hide who they are because they're intoxicated. So, again, when you look at this behavior, it is a pattern. They repeat over and over. This isn't the first time they've been intoxicated. This isn't the first time they've driven drunk. And, Nancy, the reality of this crime is we lose 13,000 people a year to drunk driving crashes that are

100% preventable. And even during this episode of your show, one person will be killed due to an alcohol-related driving incident. And it's preventable. Now that we have Lyft, we have Uber, we have taxis, we have, hey, here's an idea. Stay home. You know, you can drink all you want. You can party and have the time of your life. Do not get behind the wheel of a car. You know, Jen Smith joining me, chief investigative reporter for DailyMail.com. It really wouldn't be fair when we're talking about celebrities that get drunk and have crashes or celebrities feeding off their own stardom that believe they can mistreat all of us just regular people. Jen, take a listen to our Cut 19. I have rights. I have rights.

I'm an American. You got me in my hotel. Arrested me in my hotel for doing what, sir? Yo, you really got these cuffs on me heavy, bro. I'll fix you. Let me out. Listen, can we talk, me and you? No, we can't talk nothing.

I'm not doing that. I'm an American. I pay my taxes. Get these cuffs off my arms. So we're not going to have a conversation? No. You're going to put these off my arms or you'll be fucked. You're hearing Shia, and he's not done yet.

Take a listen to our friends at AP. You got a president that don't give a shit about you, and you're stuck in a police force that don't give a shit about you. So you want to arrest white people who give a ****? Who ask for cigarettes? I came up to you trying to be nice, you stupid ****. I came up to you asking for a cigarette, you dumb ****. Why would I ask for a cigarette if I was racist, you stupid ****?

I was asking for a cigarette. You said no. I said word. And then you arrested me, you dumb. They got cameras everywhere, you dummy. I got more millionaire lawyers than you know what to do with you, stupid. I'm from it, you dummy. OK, well, that's a way to get a cop on your side to cuss him out, call him stupid. Jen Smith, what is wrong with Shia LaBeouf?

I mean, this is just the classic case of don't you know who I am? And it's a thing we see constantly with celebrities. Shia LaBeouf, who knows what was going on there? I mean, quite clearly that is a man not in control of his faculties. But it's what we see time and time again. We've heard of Shia LaBeouf, Alec Baldwin, Mel Gibson alone. That's in the last five minutes of this conversation. There are countless examples. And, you know, is it because celebrities get into a different stratosphere

of success and adoration and wealth where they think that they're above the law. Potentially, in situations like this one involving Haley Poulos, the crime itself, DUI, is tragically not a rare one. DUIs account for 30% of all vehicle crashes in America. But the difference here is when a celebrity is involved, they almost seem to think that it can't possibly be their fault. Or that somehow it should be excused. Like in this case, the soap opera star Haley Poulos is, instead of being behind bars at a rehab, a so-called rehab in Malibu, that can cost her 30 grand. You know, the guys you were just listening to, some of them are technical legal term POCs, pieces of crap. But it's always a shocker when it's somebody you think you really like. Take a listen to our cut six from WSB. It happened at this

Walgreens. According to this police report, Reese Witherspoon's husband was traveling northbound down Peachtree Road when he veered into another lane. This is where he was pulled over. But what happened after that, even with the growing film scene here in Metro Atlanta, has residents around here surprised. According to this Department of Public Safety incident report, actress Reese Witherspoon was a passenger.

Her husband, Jim Toth, was the driver and suspected of DUI when pulled over 1240 Friday morning. The report states 42-year-old Toth agreed to a field sobriety test and blew a 1.39 on a breathalyzer. It was Witherspoon's actions, though, during her husband's arrest that landed her behind bars, too. Oh, yes. And we all love Reese Witherspoon. What got into her? I'd say a couple of glasses of wine. Take a listen. I'm a US citizen, I'm allowed to stand on American ground and ask you any question I want to ask. Go ahead and tell them. You better not arrest me. Are you kidding me? No, I told you to stop.

I'm an American citizen. I told you to get in that car and stay in there, didn't I? This is beyond. I told you to stop. You fight with me. I promise you. This is harassing. You're not harassing me as an American citizen.

I have done nothing against the law. Please speak. Yes, you have. You did. I'm very much- It brings to mind a friend of mine. He's dead now, Robert Crispin. Randy Schipani was a rookie cop. We would have coffee when he would show up for grand jury and I was the APD. He would tell me all about his wife. They just got married and how they were starting a family and how in love he was. He did a routine traffic stop and you hear Witherspoon complaining, why do I have to get in the car?

Why can't I stand here and argue with you? Well, the guy that pulled over, Schapani, grabbed a gun and shot him in the head, dead. He said, license registration, and that's the last thing he ever said. Sure. That happens a lot. And let me tell you something. You know, the officer's just trying to control the scene. And when people keep coming up and they're intoxicated and they're trying to be aggressive

and they're trying to, they're diverting the attention of the officer for his safety. And he's turning his attention to the problem that just got out of the car. I get it's Reese Witherspoon. I get you're a celebrity, but unfortunately, bad things happen to people. And this is why she went to jail. Alcohol just brings out the worst behavior in everybody. And you see it in every single one of these celebrities. They're all intoxicated. That wasn't all of it.

Listen to the rest. I'm now being arrested and handcuffed? Yep. Do you know my name, sir? Don't hate enough. You don't need to know my name? Not quite yet. and handcuffed? Yup. Do you know my name, sir? Don't hate enough. You don't need to know my name? Not quite yet. Oh, really? Okay.

You're about to find out who I am. That's fine. I'm not real worried about you, ma'am. I done told you how things work. You want to get out and get up in my investigation? That's okay. Yes, sir, I do. Well, guess what? We have a law for that. It's called obstruction. I'm obstructing your justice. Yup. Really? Yup. Yes, sir, I do. Well, guess what? We have a law for that. It's called obstruction.

I'm obstructing your justice. Yep. Really? Yep. I'm being anti-American. Yep. Go sit down. Wow. See, you're right first. It'd be a lot easier on me.

Interesting. You know, it seems like it never ends. With Reese Witherspoon, no one was hurt. In the case we're discussing right now, there were two crashes on the interstate. One victim, serious, serious bodily injuries. Well, the General Hospital soap opera star, Haley Poulos, has no shame. She's actually blaming the victim in a horrific car crash that I believe she caused. Now, she's blaming the victim while at the same time trying to work a guilty plea. That's completely inconsistent.

How can you plead guilty and yet blame the victim at the same time? No shame whatsoever. We wait as justice unfolds. Goodbye.