‘Hannah Montana’s Mitchel Musso Breaks Silence On His Arrest: It Was ‘A Misunderstanding’

UPDATE 8/31/23: Mitchel Musso spoke out after being arrested on charges of theft and public intoxication. “I was absolutely not drunk or drinking, and there was 100% no theft,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly on August 30, four days after his arrest. “It’s unfortunate, it’s a misunderstanding,” he added. Mitchel denied that he opened the bag of chips and that the hotel employee displaying “unhinged behavior” refused Mitchel’s service because he was wearing board shorts. “I was the one who was being verbally abused and also harassed. Someone ripping something out of your hand is not the most polite manners to have in this situation,” he said. Mitchel explained that he was arrested outside the hotel because of the two outstanding traffic warrants from 2019.

Mitchel Musso, 32, was arrested in Rockwall, Texas on Saturday, August 26, according to a press release from the local police department. Police received a 911 call from a complainant reporting a disturbance at a hotel. “An individual who appeared intoxicated, selected a bag of chips and began eating them,” the report revealed. “When the subject was asked to pay for them, he became verbally abusive and left without rendering payment.”

Police identified the subject as the Hannah Montana star. “During the investigation, Mr. Musso demonstrated signs of intoxication and was ultimately arrested for Public Intoxication and Theft < $100 (both of which are Class C Misdemeanors),” the release continued. He was also found to have several outstanding traffic warrants on his record.

Mitchel was booked and his mugshot, which can be seen here, shows him looking quite disheveled, with his eyes half shut. He spent the night at Rockwall County Detention Center and was released on Aug. 27 after posting his $1,000 bond.

This is not the first time that Mitchel has faced legal troubles. In 2011, when he was just 20 years old, he was pulled over on suspicion of DUI. Despite being under the legal drinking age, he blew above a .08 (the legal driving limit) on a breathalyzer test. He was released from custody for having no outstanding warrants at the time.

Mitchel played Oliver Oken on Hannah Montana from 2006 until 2011. He also made an appearance in Hannah Montana: The Movie in 2009. Some of his other roles include voice acting on Phineas & Ferb, as well as starring in Pair of Kings and PrankStars.

In addition to acting, the 32-year-old has also pursued a career in music. He released his debut album in 2009 and continued performing throughout 2010. After a hiatus from music, he returned in Sept. 2022 with a new single. He followed it up with the release of a mixtape the next month. Mitchel’s last acting role was voicing his character in the movie Phineas & Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe in 2020.