Woman in Car Crash With Ellen DeGeneres Charged With DUI

LOS ANGELES – A woman involved in a traffic collision with talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has been charged with drunken driving, authorities said.

Jeanne Werber, 52, of Los Angeles, was charged Tuesday with misdemeanor DUI, said Nick Velasquez, a spokesman for the city attorney's office.

Werber was driving a 2002 Porsche Carrera on Sept. 1 when she slammed into the back of a 2002 Buick LeSabre, which then struck the back of DeGeneres' 2006 Porsche Carrera, police said.

Werber was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving at the time after refusing to take a chemical sobriety test, Velasquez said.

DeGeneres and her passenger — a woman in her mid-30s — and the men in the Buick had minor injuries. No one required medical attention, police said.

If convicted, Werber could face up to six months in prison and a fine of $1,000. She also was charged with failing to provide proof of insurance, an infraction punishable with a $100 fine, Velasquez said.

Messages left after business hours for DeGeneres' publicist and a number listed for Werber were not immediately returned Wednesday.

DeGeneres last week was named host of the 2007 Academy Awards. Her syndicated talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," just began its fourth season.