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You’ve probably seen it by now. That beaming, ear-to-ear grin. The pearl earrings. The kind of blowout that usually requires a salon appointment and a serious amount of hairspray. Most people look like they’ve just rolled out of a dumpster in their booking photos, but the Lily Stewart mug shot felt more like a senior portrait or a LinkedIn headshot.
It was weird. It was glamorous. Honestly, it was a little unhinged.
When a 20-year-old University of Georgia student becomes a household name overnight because of a speeding ticket, you know the internet has officially lost its mind. But the story isn’t just about a "pretty" photo. It’s a bizarre sequence of events involving multiple arrests, a game of hide-and-seek with campus police, and a very expensive afternoon in Morgan County.
The Speeding Spree That Started It All
So, how does someone end up with a viral mugshot for speeding? Usually, you just get a ticket and a lecture. But Lily Stewart, a sophomore and member of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, didn't just speed once.
On March 8, 2025, Stewart was cruising toward Milledgeville, Georgia. She was headed to a "darty"—a daytime fraternity party at Georgia College & State University. According to her interview with PEOPLE, she was blasting Drake, her sunroof was open, and she was "having a great time."
Maybe too much of a great time.
A Georgia State Patrol trooper clocked her doing 79 mph in a 55 mph zone. The officer pulled her over, handed her a citation, and sent her on her way. You’d think that would be enough to make anyone ease off the gas. Nope. Minutes later, the same trooper caught her again. This time, she was allegedly going 84 mph.
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That’s when the "glamour" moment happened. Instead of another ticket, she was taken to the Morgan County jail. When she stepped in front of the camera for her booking photo, she didn't look scared. She didn't look annoyed. She just... smiled.
Why did she smile?
According to Stewart, it was pure instinct. "I just smile. It was like an instinct," she told reporters. "I popped my smile and turned to the side."
The internet responded exactly how you’d expect. Within days, the photo was all over accounts like Mugshawtys, racking up millions of views and thousands of thirsty comments. People were calling her "Miss America" and offering to pay her $1,000 fine.
The Second Arrest: Hiding at Sanford Stadium
Just when the buzz around the first Lily Stewart mug shot started to settle, things got even weirder. On March 23, 2025—roughly two weeks after her first brush with the law—Stewart was arrested again.
This time, it wasn't on a highway. It was on the University of Georgia campus around 3:00 a.m.
UGA police responded to an alarm at the Tate Student Center. They found a group of four people—including Stewart—inside the closed building. When they saw the cops, the group didn't stick around to explain. They bolted.
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While three members of the group were caught relatively quickly in a nearby parking deck, Stewart was missing. Police eventually found her crouching behind a brick wall at Gate 10 of Sanford Stadium.
When she was found, she was surprisingly candid. She told officers, "Truly that was actually my fault," and admitted she ran because she was "out on bond" from her previous arrest and didn't want to get in more trouble.
Breaking Down the Legal Reality
It’s easy to get caught up in the "glamour" of it all, but the charges weren't exactly a joke. Between the two incidents, Stewart faced a variety of legal headaches:
- Excessive Speeding: Her first arrest in Morgan County resulted in a fine of around $1,000.
- Loitering and Prowling: This came from the Tate Center incident.
- Obstruction of a Law Enforcement Officer: This was the misdemeanor charge for fleeing and hiding behind the stadium wall.
Interestingly, police noted that while others in her group during the second incident had fake IDs or showed signs of drinking, Stewart herself did not. She was just the one who allegedly opened the door and then led the police on a brief foot chase.
She ended up posting a $4,600 bond for the second arrest. That's a lot of money for a late-night stroll through a student center.
The "Mugshot Fame" Phenomenon
We’ve seen this before. Jeremy Meeks became a high-fashion model after his mugshot went viral. But Lily Stewart seems to have a more grounded—if slightly sarcastic—take on her 15 minutes of fame.
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She’s gone on TikTok to read "unhinged" comments about herself. She’s joked about her monogrammed rain jacket. But she also told PEOPLE that she doesn't actually think the photo is that good. "I actually think it's a bad photo of me," she claimed. "If you see me in person, I don't really look the same."
Whether it's a "bad" photo or not, it tapped into a specific corner of the internet that loves to romanticize "pretty" criminals. It's a trend that gets plenty of pushback. Critics argue that making a celebrity out of someone for reckless driving—which the Morgan County Sheriff noted could have seriously hurt someone—is a bad look for society.
What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception? That she did this on purpose for fame.
While it looks like a calculated move to go viral, the timeline suggests she was just a college student making a series of very questionable decisions in a short window of time. Getting caught speeding twice by the same cop in ten minutes isn't a PR stunt; it's a lack of situational awareness.
Actionable Insights: What to do if you’re in a similar spot
If you ever find yourself being booked (hopefully not for speeding twice), there are some practical things to keep in mind regarding your public record:
- Mugshots are public record: In many states, including Georgia, booking photos are easily accessible. They will show up on Google.
- Privacy laws vary: Some states have passed laws to prevent "mugshot galleries" from charging you to remove your photo, but they don't stop news outlets from publishing them.
- The "Smile" can backfire: While it worked for Lily Stewart's social media following, looking "too happy" in a mugshot can sometimes be used by prosecutors to argue a lack of remorse during sentencing.
- Expungement doesn't always delete the internet: You can get a record sealed or expunged, but once a photo is viral, it’s basically permanent.
The Lily Stewart mug shot serves as a weird time capsule of 2025 internet culture—a mix of sorority life, reckless driving, and the power of a "flawless" blowout.
For Stewart, the "Miss America" nickname might stick for a while, but the legal fees and the $4,600 bond are the parts of the story that don't look quite as good on a TikTok feed.