Some good news for Amanda Bynes! The 27-year-old actress won't be facing criminal charges after she allegedly started a fire in the driveway of an elderly woman's home in Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Monday, July 22.
Capt. Don Aguilar of Ventura County Sheriff's Office told MTV News on Wednesday that no criminal charges will be pressed against Bynes. "She's at a mental health facility now so we're out of the mix," Aguilar said.
On Tuesday, Aguilar confirmed to Us Weekly: "Amanda Bynes was involved in a disturbance in a residential neighborhood last night in Thousand Oaks in the 200-block of Avenida De Los Arboles. Deputies investigated the incident and determined that she met the criteria of 5150 W&I (California Welfare & Institutions Code). She was detained and taken for a mental health evaluation. Ventura County Fire Dept. also responded to this incident in reference to a report of a gas can on fire in a driveway."
An eyewitness told TMZ that the former Nickelodeon star was seen in the driveway with her left pant leg on fire with her dog, who was reportedly burned. Shortly after, Bynes was caught on a surveillance video at a nearby liquor store carrying her Pomeranian. The store owner told TMZ that he smelled gasoline and the Easy A star went into an employees only area to rinse off her dog in a sink.
Bynes has was placed on an involuntary 72-hour psychiatric hold. Mental Health Association of California executive director Rusty Selix explained to MTV News, "The maximum is a 72 hour hold, but in most cases they don't need 72 hours . . . For someone to be admitted, a judicial proceeding takes place and someone has to make a finding that the person is a danger to themself or others . . . [with the act of] setting fires in a driveway it is not problem to make that determination."
