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Voice of Disney’s Pocahontas arrested for disorderly conduct

Police report says Irene Bedard’s breath contained a ‘strong odour of an alcoholic beverage’, however she said she had not consumed anything that day

Inga Parkel
Thursday 25 August 2022 01:33 EDT
Irene Bedard
Irene Bedard (Getty Images for Disney)

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Actor Irene Bedard was arrested for disorderly conduct, Ohio police have confirmed.

The 55-year-old is best known for voicing the titular character in Disney’s 1995 animated film Pocahontas.

According to a police report obtained by People, two females were arguing when they “walked out into the street screaming, without any regard for traffic”.

After two officers separated the pair, one was identified as Bedard, and the other was identified as Sheila Johnson.

A third officer came on the scene and spoke with Bedard, and the report says: “As [she] spoke, there was a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage on her breath.”

However, she told Ohio police that she had not consumed any alcohol that day. Although, she did disclose that she had consumed a bottle of vodka the day before.

Bedard then explained that Johnson had been trying to help her into her “studio”, but she was unable to locate her keys.

‘Pocahontas’
‘Pocahontas’ (Disney Studios)

The report described that the actor’s “emotions changed rapidly”. One moment she would be calm before becoming upset and eventually crying.

It added that at some point, she became angry with the officers citing a “previous incident where she said police didn’t help her”.

Police said that Bedard later backed into a large window “as she continued to yell at us” and, out of fear that the glass might shatter, one of the officers grabbed her by the arm to pull her away.

When Johnson attempted to give a name to call on behalf of Bedard, the actor “yelled that she didn’t want that person called and ran away from us screaming”.

After confirming that there was nobody to contact on her behalf, she was told that she was under arrest.

Bedard was taken to Greene County Jail where she was booked for disorderly conduct. Although, according to TMZ, she was released on Sunday (21 August).

The Independent has reached out to Bedard’s representatives for comment.

Elsewhere in the report, an incident from earlier that day said police were dispatched to do a welfare check on a woman passed out in the bushes who was wearing the same thing as Bedard at the time of her arrest. Once they arrived, the woman was gone, but a car registered to Bedard was found sitting in the car lot next door.

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