Alana ‘Honey Boo Boo’ Thompson’s Boyfriend Dralin Carswell Arrested for DUI, Speeding After Police Chase

Alana Thompson a.k.a. Honey Boo Boo’s boyfriend, Dralin Carswell, was arrested for driving under the influence, In Touch confirmed on Thursday, March 2. 

Carswell, 21, was arrested on Tuesday, February 28,  and remained in the Monroe County jail for two days. He was released on a $25,000 bond, according to the Money County Sheriff’s office. Carswell was charged with following too closely, failure to maintain lane, driving under the influence of marijuana, driving with a suspended license and speeding, fleeing and attempting to evade police.  

The Monroe County Reporter was the first to report the news. 

Prior to being arrested, both Carswell and Alana Thompson, 17, were together during a high-speed police chase. After nearly hitting another vehicle, Carswell ignored emergency lights flashed to him by police and continued driving at about 75 mph which constitutes as felony fleeing, according to the incident report obtained by In Touch. After a pint maneuver was made by law enforcement which caused the car to spin out, an officer approached the vehicle with their gun drawn — a pistol was sitting in the car’s cupholder at the time. 

Carswell’s license was subsequently run and officers were informed on the scene that he was driving with a suspended license and was wanted due to violating his probation. Though Thompson had no outstanding warrants, the third passenger — Julius Malik Devon Williams — had several. Both Carswell and Williams were arrested.

Thompson was reportedly picked up by her sister, Lauryn “Pumpkin” Efird, following the incident.  

The Here Comes Honey Boo Boo alum and her boyfriend began dating in 2021, with the couple going Instagram official in September of that year. Due to their age difference, Thompson and Carswell faced backlash from fans despite the age of consent being 16 in Georgia, which is where they live. 

In response to the criticism they received, Thompson defended her romance during an interview with Entertainment Tonight in July 2022, in which she pointed out that Carswell had her family’s approval. 

“In our relationship, the two most things that everybody is always talking about is our age gap and definitely because he’s Black and I’m white, and we’re an interracial couple,” she told the outlet at the time. “I don’t care because, like, at the end of the day, my sister approves, his mom approves, and we’re happy, so what fans got to say or what haters got to say I don’t really care.”

Although the young duo may be enjoying their time together, Carswell has been in trouble with the law in the past. In May 2019, he was arrested for statutory rape, In Touch confirmed, two years before he and Thompson began their relationship. 

At the time, Carswell was initially arrested and charged for rape, and upon questioning, the minor said the sex was consensual.  Carswell was accused of submitting a false statement to police, in which he claimed he didn’t visit the home of the girl on the night that he was accused of having sex with her. This led to the rape charges being dismissed for the charge of making a false statement. The false statement charge was adjudicated in a June 2021 pretrial diversion agreement where Dralin agreed to several conditions, including for him to see an addiction specialist, to consume no alcohol, to undergo drug and alcohol screens, to have no contact with the victim and to attend a moral reconation class. The case was then closed.