Al Gore III arrested on drug charges

LOS ANGELES – The son of former Vice President Al Gore was released after being arrested early Wednesday and charged with possession of marijuana and prescription drugs after Orange County sheriff’s deputies stopped him for driving about 100 mph on southbound Interstate 5 in Laguna Niguel, authorities said.

Albert Gore III, wearing dark sunglasses, was released from Orange County Jail in Santa Ana just before 2 p.m. and walked to a car without speaking to reporters.

Gore was taken into custody about 12 hours earlier after deputies stopped his Toyota Prius and detected the “strong odor of marijuana,” said Jim Amormino, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department.

A search of the car found marijuana and prescription drugs Vicodin, Valium, Xanax and Adderall, an amphetamine for attention deficit disorder, officials said.

“He didn’t have a prescription for any of it,” Amormino said.

Gore was booked into Orange County Jail on four charges, including possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana and possession of the drugs without a prescription.