A 20-year-old sophomore from the University of Georgia went insanely viral after getting arrested — two occurrences that don’t exactly go together. But turns out, she’s been arrested again and this time, the internet knows exactly who she is.
On Sunday, March 23, Lily Stewart was taken in under the charges of obstruction of a law enforcement officer and loitering/prowling, according to Athens-Clarke County online records.
Highlights
- Lily Stewart, a 20-year-old UGA sophomore, was arrested twice and went viral for her smiling mugshot.
- Stewart first got arrested for a speeding ticket and then speeding again to reach a fraternity day party.
- Her latest arrest was for obstruction and loitering with a $4,000 bond posted, but further details are limited.
But while this is certainly a pretty big deal, her story starts on March 8 when she received her “15 minutes of fame” for giving a huge, brilliant smile in her mug shot.
Lily Stewart first went viral for smiling in her mug shot with a fancy outfit and hair done
Image credits: Kindel Media / Pexels
The college student was heading to a ‘darty,’ also known as a day party, that a fraternity was throwing at Georgia College & State University.
All was well on the drive over. As she told People, her sunroof was open and she was “blasting Drake” and house music. Accompanying all that was her car, going 85mph in an area where the speed limit was only 55.
And that’s when she ran into trouble.
Image credits: Clarke County Sheriff's Office
She saw a Georgia State Patrol car coming from the opposite direction before it made a U-turn and started to chase her. Stewart obliged, pulled over, and got handed a speeding ticket — which wasn’t actually a huge deal.
It was after she pulled away and revved her engine right back up to 85 that truly landed her in trouble.
“I had somewhere to be, girl. I had a darty,” she said. “My ETA was 11:05 a.m. and I was going to get there at 11 and the group was leaving at 11.”
But the dread hit her a little too late when Stewart looked in her rearview mirror to see that the same officer was following her. Again.
She was arrested on March 8 after speeding two times
Image credits: Lily Stewart
That was what led to the sorority girl being placed in handcuffs as she was escorted to the back of the officer’s cruiser, watching as her Volvo SUV got towed away. Lucky for her, though, the two seemed to hit it off quite well, despite the unlikely circumstances.
Stewart recalled the unexpected moment of bonding that started when Walking on a Dream began playing in the car.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is my favorite song,’” she shared with the outlet. “And he’s like, ‘No way, me too.’ And then he turns it up and I start singing.”
“At that point,” she said, “we became friends.”
Image credits: Lily Stewart
The 20-year-old added, “I told him, I said, ‘You know what? You might have arrested me, but I’m not going to let this ruin my day.’ And he said, ‘Good, I’m glad this isn’t going to ruin your day.’”
When she arrived at the station, she took her mugshot with a bright smile, her hair all done up with flashy jewelry… and the rest is history.
“Everyone’s been asking me, ‘Why’d you smile, why’d you smile?’ I just smile,” Stewart said. “It was just like an instinct. There were cameras up there. I popped my smile and turned to the side.”
The officer that hauled her in had a moment of bonding with Stewart
Image credits: Lily Stewart
When she called her parents, George and Michelle, she started the conversation off with “Dad, think of the absolute worst thing I could possibly do,” before laying it on them.
At first, her father thought it was funny until he learned she’d been speeding, to which he replied, “I couldn’t even think of something more stupid.”
Her mother simply said, “I want to thump you upside the head.”
The two were more than aware of Stewart’s unique mug shot. But as the talk around that memorable March day faded, the 20-year-old got back to her normal routine with classes.
Image credits: Clarke County Sheriff's Office
Now, it looks as if she’s gotten into trouble again.
Not many details have been released to the public, but as per the county’s website, the college sophomore was booked at 5:26am local time after being arrested by the UGA Police Department.
Since then, she’s posted a total bond of $4,000 and was released from police custody just before 11a.m..
UGA and the UGA Police Department have not responded to requests for more information, and Stephen Morris, Stewart’s attorney, had no comment.
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