NORMAL, ILL. - Actor and playwright Sam Shepard has been arrested for speeding and drunken driving early Saturday.

Shepard was arrested on preliminary charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding 15-20 mph above the limit and improper lane usage. His blood-alcohol level was reportedly twice the 0.085 legal limits for driving.

Police Lt. Mark Kotte said that Shepard, 65, was driving 16 mph over the 30 mph speed limit.

Shepard told police he had been at a tavern in nearby Bloomington and was driving to the hotel. He said he was on his way to his home in Kentucky from Minnesota.

He posted $300 to be released from the McLean County jail. His court date is not known.

Shepard, an accomplished playwright who won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for drama for his play Buried Child, also has acted in dozens of films, including Black Hawk Down, The Notebook and The Right Stuff.