Former American Idol finalist Julia DeMato was busted on December 4th and charged with driving under the influence and drug possession in Brookfield Connecticut.

According to the Brookfield Police Department Julia DeMato was seen by officer’s drive her SUV into a parking lot of Pancho and Gringos Restaurant about an hour after it had closed. They watched her to learn what she could be doing there at 2 am. They could tell that she had been drinking and gave her a sobriety test, which she failed, at location. She was then arrested. In the arrest report was the statement “During a subsequent search of DeMato’s vehicle, police found two marijuana pipes, a small quantity of marijuana and a glassine baggie with a small amount of white powder in her purse that field tested positive for cocaine.”

After the discovery, DeMato was arrested and charged with possession of narcotics, two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana. This is not what fans or friends would expect from the 26-year hairstylist and a finalist of the 2003 edition of American Idol.

She did state that she did not have a drug problem and that the arrest was a mistake and that is was a misunderstanding. She was released on a $10,000 bond and was ordered to appear in court again on December 16.

On December 16th, Julia DeMato appeared in Connecticut’s Danbury Superior Court and pleaded not guilty to drug possession charges. She is due back in court on January 12th, 2006.