The actor best known for playing Sergeant Ellis Carver on The Wire and Father Gabriel Stokes on The Walking Dead has been arrested for drug possession after a high-speed chase which saw him driving nearly double the speed limit.
Seth Gilliam was pulled over early Tuesday morning in Peachtree City, Ga., after an officer clocked him driving 107mph in a 55mph zone. When the officer approached the car, he immediately noticed alcohol on Gilliam’s breath. The actor admitted to having three beers and a shot before getting behind the wheel. He later failed a sobriety test and blew a .107, well over the legal limit. An individual joint and an ounce of marijuana were also found in his vehicle.
Gilliam was arrested and charged with DUI, pot possession, reckless driving, and speeding, but has since been released after posting a $9,818 bond. The DUI and reckless driving charges each carry a fine of up to $1,000, but the latter charge also carries a potential jail sentence of up to one year. But since Gilliam doesn’t have a prior criminal record and there were luckily no injuries stemming from the incident, it’s unlikely that he will receive any jail time.
A representative for The Walking Dead declined to comment on whether Gilliam’s arrest would affect production for the upcoming sixth season or any potential storylines. Season 5 concluded last March and attracted record numbers for the show, with 17.3 million viewers tuning in for the season premiere.
Gilliam first gained notoriety through several appearances on The Cosby Show in the early ‘90s and later had a recurring role in the late ‘90s and early 2000s as Clayton Hughes on the HBO drama Oz. He more recently co-starred as Dr. Alan Deaton on MTV drama Teen Wolf and currently co-stars as Father Gabriel on AMC’s popular The Walking Dead.
