Macaulay Culkin Busted

Fri., Sep. 17, 2004 9:25 PM PDT by Charlie Amter

Apparently, Macaulay Culkin really is a Party Monster.

The former child star was arrested and booked into the Oklahoma County Jail Friday afternoon on drug-possession charges, according to the Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department.

The Home Alone actor was processed at the jail around 6 p.m. CT; he posted $4,000 bail before his eventual release around 7:30 p.m., according to Oklahoma City Police Captain Jeffrey Becker.

Around 4 p.m. Friday, Culkin and a buddy were traveling down Interstate 44 in northeast Oklahoma City. The two New York City pals were pulled over for driving 70 mph in a 60 mph zone.

After the arresting officer, Chad Cook, advised Culkin that his friend had given him consent to search the vehicle, Cook discovered 17.3 grams of marijuana near Culkin's black bag on the passenger side of the car. Cook then handcuffed Culkin and took him to jail.

Becker told E! Online Friday night that in addition to Culkin's marijuana charge, the actor was also booked on possession of eight Xanax pills and 32 milligrams of Clonazepam, a potentially addictive sedative used to treat seizures.

Culkin was not in possession of prescriptions for either drug, said Becker.

After a four-year run in the early 1990s as one of Hollywood's most powerful child actors, Culkin saw his career torpedoed by family troubles.

In 1995, his father and manager, Kit, and mother, Patricia, split (they'd never married) and began a bitter war over Macaulay's millions and custody issues. Soon after, Culkin--who once commanded $5 million for films such as Home Alone 2: Lost in New York--was more likely to be sighted in a New York nightclub than on a movie set.

The 24-year-old has been trying to make a comeback of sorts lately, with a starring role in the 2003 indie hit Party Monster and a well-received performance in this year's Saved.

Culkin has a few projects brewing this year, although none appear to be film related. He has reportedly been working on a project called Junior for Miramax Books, described by the publisher in May as "part memoir, part rant, part comedic tour de force." Also, trade reports in February said Culkin was set to star in his first sitcom, Foster Hall, but the Conan O'Brien-produced show didn't make the fall schedule.