Actress Kelli Berglund, best known for the Disney XD series “Lab Rats,” was cited at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 15, 2016, for possessing a fake ID while underage. She was 20 at the time, one year under California’s legal drinking age. The Kelli Berglund Coachella arrest ended with an on-site citation from the Indio Police Department and a release back into the festival. No formal charges or conviction were ever reported.
What Happened at the Festival
On the Friday evening of Coachella’s opening weekend, Berglund tried to enter a restricted area of the festival to meet friends. Security identified the ID she presented as fake and flagged officers from the Indio Police Department, who were stationed on the grounds.1TMZ. Kelli Berglund Coachella Arrest Disney Lab Rats A department public information officer later confirmed the arrest.2People. Kelli Berglund Arrested at Coachella for Using Fake ID
She was not taken to jail. Indio police had set up fingerprinting equipment and cameras on-site, working with the California Identification System to process misdemeanor arrests without overwhelming county jail capacity.3ABC7. Disney XD Star Kelli Berglund Arrested for Having Fake ID at Coachella Berglund was fingerprinted, photographed, issued a citation, and released.
The California Law She Was Cited Under
The citation was issued under California Business and Professions Code Section 25661, which makes it a misdemeanor for anyone under 21 to possess a fraudulent ID for the purpose of purchasing alcohol.4Daily Bulletin. 128 Arrests During Coachella Weekend 1, Disney Star Kelli Berglund Among Them A first offense carries a minimum fine of $250 and 24 to 32 hours of community service, which the statute directs be served at an alcohol or drug treatment program or a county coroner’s office where available.5FindLaw. California Business and Professions Code Section 25661
Public records and reporting from the time do not show that the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office formally filed charges against Berglund, and no court proceedings or conviction have been reported. Cite-and-release misdemeanors from large events are often resolved this way, with prosecution left to the discretion of the DA’s office.
Berglund’s Response
Berglund did not issue a statement about the arrest.6UPI. Kelli Berglund Arrested at Coachella for Fake ID The day after the citation she posted a photo of herself at a party on Instagram, and on Monday, April 18, she tweeted “Thanks for the love coachella 2k16!” with a festival photo.7New York Daily News. Disney Star Kelli Berglund Arrested at Coachella for Carrying Fake ID
Fake IDs at Coachella That Weekend
Berglund was one of 46 people cited for fake IDs during the first weekend of the 2016 festival, a 130 percent jump from the same weekend the year before.8The Press-Enterprise. Coachella 2016 Arrests Up From First Weekend Last Year, Police Blame Fake IDs A total of 128 people were arrested that weekend on charges ranging from drug offenses to public intoxication. Indio Police Sgt. Dan Marshall said the figure fell within the department’s expected range of 120 to 150 arrests for an opening weekend.9Orange County Register. Disney Star Kelli Berglund Among Those Arrested at Coachella as Fake IDs Bump Up Numbers
Enforcement runs as a joint operation between festival security, Indio police, and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.10California ABC. ABC Partners With Law Enforcement to Prevent Underage Drinking at California Music Festivals Security at ID stations uses verification questions and visual inspection; a detected fake typically results in ejection from the grounds and a referral to police for a citation.