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Anne Heche: No Alcohol, But Reportedly Used Cocaine Before Crash

Anne Heche

Police have been investigating the circumstances behind the fiery crash that happened last Friday.

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Anne Heche was under the influence of cocaine when she crashed her car into a Los Angeles home last Friday, police sources have told TMZ.

Heche's car and the home caught fire, leaving the actress with severe burns for which she remains hospitalized.

A test of blood drawn from Heche at the hospital showed cocaine in her system, Los Angeles Police Department sources told the news outlet. The blood also tested positive for fentanyl, a strong pain reliever, but that is sometimes administered at hospitals, so it's unclear if Heche had consumed it before the crash. She was not under the influence of alcohol, the police sources said.

Since TMZ reported the news, the LAPD has given formal statements to other news media. "The blood draw results showed a presence of narcotics, but additional testing is required to rule out any substances that were administered in the hospital," Officer Annie Hernandez told CNN.

Heche is under investigation for a potential felony charge of driving under the influence, upgraded from a misdemeanor because of the toxicology report and because it's now known that someone inside the home was injured, another officer, Jeff Lee, told CNN. A woman in the home had minor injuries but did not seek treatment, Lee said.

Heche's condition is "dire" and "has not improved" since Friday, TMZ reports, noting that she is "fighting for her life." It was reported earlier this week that she is in a coma.

"She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention," a representative for Heche told CNN Monday. She is being treated at the Grossman Burn Center in L.A.

Heche is the former partner of Ellen DeGeneres and has been a busy working actress since the 1980s, with roles in soap operas, prime-time television, and movies.

A reporter for the U.K.'s Daily Mail spoke to DeGeneres in Santa Barbara, Calif., this week. When the journalist asked DeGeneres about Heche, DeGeneres replied that they are no longer in touch but that she wished Heche well. "I don't want anyone to be hurt," she said.

One of Heche's latest projects, the Lifetime movie Girl in Room 13, is still scheduled to air in September, producers said during a virtual panel for the Television Critics Association Thursday, Deadline reports.

In the film, Heche plays the mother of a human trafficking victim. "This project is important to Anne and to every one of us," Amy Winter, Lifetime's executive vice president and head of programming, told the critics' group, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "We all sought to make a film to shed light on this important issue." Elisabeth Rohm, the movie's director, said Heche's performance is "phenomenal."

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Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.