‘90210’ Actress Enters Not-Guilty Plea to DUI Charges

An attorney for actress Shannen Doherty pleaded not guilty to drunk driving on her behalf Friday.

Commissioner Ruben De La Torre set trial for April 30.

Doherty, who has yet to show up at the Ventura County courthouse for hearings since her Dec. 28 arrest, will be in court for her trial, said her attorney, Trent Copeland.

The 29-year-old Doherty, best-known for her role as Brenda Walsh on the television show “Beverly Hills, 90210,” was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers about 3 a.m. Dec. 28 after they noticed her black Ford pickup weaving in and out of lanes on the northbound Ventura Freeway near Ventu Park Road in Thousand Oaks.

The actress refused to take a breath test to determine her blood-alcohol level, opting for a blood test.

She was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and was released several hours later on her own recognizance. She faces a misdemeanor DUI charge.

Copeland said Doherty has insisted all along that she was not drunk when she was pulled over and will vigorously defend herself against the charge. “The level as reported by the [authorities] was .13,” Copeland said, “but independent tests have shown it to be substantially lower.”

The legal limit for driving is .08.

“The evidence in this case has not been very strong, and it has gotten worse,” Copeland said.