‘Tiger King’ star Jeff Lowe, wife arrested on suspicion of DUI

OKLAHOMA CITY — “Tiger King” star Jeff Lowe and his wife were arrested early Saturday in Oklahoma on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.

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Jeff Lowe, 56, from the hit Netflix docuseries, and his wife, Lauren Lowe, 30, were taken into custody in Oklahoma City at about 1:50 a.m. CDT, KOCO reported. Both were charged with driving under the influence, and Jeff Lowe was also cited for a changing lanes violation, according to E! Online.

According to a police report, an officer noticed a white Ranger Rover driving over a curb from a private parking lot, the television station reported. The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed but came to a stop when an officer approached it.

The driver of the vehicle, identified as Lauren Lowe, leaned out of the vehicle and yelled for help “in a slurred speech,” according to the police report. The officer observed Lauren Lowe exit the vehicle and switch places with Jeff Lowe, KOCO reported.

Jeff Lowe drove away, and police said he made an illegal lane change before pulling over, People reported. According to the police report, the Lowes exhibited slurred speech and “a strong odor commonly associated with the consumption of an alcoholic beverage” on their breaths.

Jeff Lowe had trouble standing, the police report stated. The report also stated that Jeff Lowe’s speech “was so slurred it was difficult to understand him at times.” The officer then asked Jeff Lowe to perform a series of field sobriety tests, and he agreed.

The officer reported that Jeff Lowe failed the tests, KOCO reported.

At police headquarters, a Breathalyzer test revealed that Jeff Lowe’s blood-alcohol-content level was 0.18, more than double the state’s legal limit of 0.08, the television station reported.

The report also stated that Lauren Lowe “had a thick slurred speech” and “was unsteady on her feet.”

The DUI arrests come about two weeks after the couple was accused of violating the Endangered Species Act, People reported. An investigation found examples of animal mistreatment at the couple’s Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, according to a news release on May 20 from the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal officials seized 68 protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids, and a jaguar from the park, the news release said.

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