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Arrest Warrant Out for CSI Star

Judge gives Gary Dourdan until this afternoon to appear in court after trouble-prone actor allegedly misses flight

By Baker Machado May 21, 2012 5:37 PMTags
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Ex-CSI star Gary Dourdan's got to channel the Amazing Race if he wants to avoid the slammer.

The trouble-prone actor was on the receiving end of a bench warrant this morning after being MIA for a mandatory court hearing in his domestic violence case. And the clock's ticking before he could wind up back behind bars.

Dourdan has been working on a project in Morocco and, per his attorneys, was unable to make his scheduled flight from Frankfurt in time to make the pretrial hearing this morning.

Further complicating matters: Dourdan's lead attorney John Markham was also not in attendance due to his son's graduation ceremony from Columbia Law School. 

A frantic special attorney handling Dourdan's case in place of Markham told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner that Dourdan's new flight should arrive at LAX around 12:45 p.m. and the actor will be in court immediately after. 

Sautner issued a bench warrant for failure to appear, but gave Dourdan a bit of a reprieve—he until 2:30 to make it the courthouse before she brings down the hammer.

Dourdan, 45, was arrested back in November for felony battery charges after ex-girlfriend Nicole Vail Cannizzaro claimed the actor punched her in the face and broke her nose during an altercation. 

Speaking to E! News at a hearing last month, Dourdan proclaimed his innocence: "I have been waiting a long time and I haven't had a voice. It has been rough, but [the public needs to get] all the right stuff. I did not do this."

A jury trial date is currently scheduled for June 1, but Dourdan's special counsel indicated they would like that date changed this afternoon. 

Aside from his current case, Dourdan, best known for playing Warrick Brown on CSI, has also battled drug and money issues since leaving the hit CBS series in 2008.

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