Gary Coleman Busted Again

Fri., Jul. 16, 1999 5:00 PM PDT by

It's the end of the millennium: Russia is our friend, women's soccer is huge and Todd Bridges is the least troubled Diff'rent Strokes child star.

That's because Gary Coleman, who played cherubic Arnold on the early-'80s NBC sitcom, just got himself arrested for the second time in the last 12 months.

According to police in Hawthorne, California, the 30-year-old actor-turned-security guard was taken into custody last weekend at a sobriety check point. No, the 4-foot-8 Coleman wasn't accused of driving drunk. But, after spotting an expired license plate, the cops checked their computer and discovered Coleman was wanted on an outstanding warrant--seems the former child star never paid the $400 fine levied against him in February after he entered a no contest plea to disturbing the peace.

That, of course, was the plea-bargained-down charge against the 85-pound Coleman, stemming from his alleged attack on a 205-pound female bus driver in a Los Angeles store in July 1998. (Coleman's sentence also included a year's probation and anger-management sessions.)

Back in February, Coleman admitted to punching the driver, Tracy Fields, in the face. Eyewitnesses said the actor became enraged after Fields--unhappy with the autograph Coleman had given her--began harassing the erstwhile kid star about his lack of adult career success.

After police took him into custody Saturday, it reportedly took Coleman only an hour to come up with the $26,000 bail. (Hello, Mr. Drummund?) He's due back in court August 3.

Coleman's second arrest follows the overdose suicide in May of his 33-year-old Diff'rent Strokes costar, Dana Plato.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Bridges, who endured perhaps the most legal trouble of any of the three Strokes kid stars--including an attempted murder charge that he was later cleared of--has managed to stay out of police reports for several years now.

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