Torn Drives into Trouble
Rip Torn has once more been accused of being ripped.
Two years after being acquitted of drunk driving, the Men in Black star has run afoul of the law again, getting arrested Monday outside New York City for allegedly driving while intoxicated and refusing to take a Breathalyzer test following a car crash.
According to Sergeant Joseph Lutz of the North Salem Police Department, the 75-year-old Hollywood vet was driving his 1995 Chevy Cavalier north on Route 22 in the Westchester County hamlet at approximately 2:30 p.m. when he collided with a tractor-trailer as he tried to make a turn. No one was injured
Lutz said that officers arriving on the scene suspected booze was involved and attempted to administer a chemical test to check the actor's blood alcohol level. But Torn refused and was taken into custody on charges of driving while intoxicated and making an unsafe lane change. He was transported to a police station in nearby Somers, where he was greeted by a bevy of reporters and photographers and summarily declared his innocence.
"It's a bunch of bulls--t. The truck hit me. I didn't do anything," the Westchester County Journal News quoted the actor as saying. The newspaper reported that his eyes were bloodshot and his speech slurred.
The former Larry Sanders Show star was arraigned later Monday in North Salem Town Court before Judge Ralph Mackin, who suspended Torn's New York driver's license and released him into the custody of his attorney, Kevin Reeves, without requiring the actor to post bond.
Because police impounded his car, Torn needed a lift home to Lakeville, Connecticut.
The next court date has been scheduled for Dec. 11.
"Because he was a refusal, he was arraigned and will now have to reappear in North Salem for another hearing to prove that he wasn't intoxicated," a police spokesman told E! Online.
Torn's Los Angeles-based publicist, Dick Guttman, was unavailable for comment late Monday. Calls to his lawyer were not immediately returned.
Reeves and his legal crew were responsible for getting the Emmy winner off the hook following his previous drunk-driving arrest in 2004. In that case, Torn was busted after plowing into a cab in New York's Greenwich Village and subsequently refusing to take a Breathalyzer test. During his trial, prosecutors played videotape showing the rambunctious performer telling the cops to "go to hell" and demanding they remove his handcuffs. They also cited police reports saying Torn reeked of alcohol, had bloodshot eyes and was "incoherent." However, after two hours of deliberations, jurors weren't swayed and found him not guilty.
Torn, who made his feature film debut in Elia Kazan's 1956 adaptation of Tennessee Williams' Baby Doll, scored an Oscar nomination in 1984 for Cross Creek. The Texas native achieved perhaps his best notoriety playing wily talk-show producer Artie on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show, for which he won a 1996 Best Supporting Actor Emmy and was nominated six times.
Since then, Torn has appeared in a number of notable roles, including Chief Zedd in 1997's Men in Black and its 2002 sequel, as well as the battle-scarred coach of Vince Vaughn's misfit team in 2004's Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.
The Big Picture
Strong Enough for a Man... ...but made for a woman. Justin brings sexy back to the L.A. set of his new movie, The Social Network
More PhotosMost Commented
- Rob and Kristen Stroll Arm in Arm! (865)
- Would Kristen Work With Rob Outside of Twilight? (862)
- "Exhausted" Rob and Kristen (Kinda) Get Personal (764)
- Robsten Begin Publicity Tour Together—Kinda (607)
- Rob Pregnant! Taylor Never Stripping Again! And Other Twilight Tall Tales (524)
- Overworked Rob Needs a Break! (366)
- Jensen's Engaged! So Is Jackles in Trouble? (319)
- Rob and Kristen Keep the Mystery Going (313)
- Fall TV SOS: Save One Endangered New Show (280)
- Bitch-Back! Angelina Bouncing From Man to Man? (251)
Top 10 Stories
- Does Up Have the Right Stuff? See Which Toons Are Oscar Eligible
- What's Black and White and Weird All Over? Nicolas Cage's Mime Stalker
- Kris Allen: Adam Lambert Doin' Just Fine Post-Breakup
- Céline Dion Tries for Another Baby After Pregnancy Loss
- Semifinals Are Set on Dancing With the Stars
- Julianne Hough Trims Chuck Wicks From Her Life
- John Travolta and Daughter Ella Smile for Ellen
- Michael Jackson's Funeral Didn't Just Look Like a Million Bucks
- Jessica Alba: "I Never Feel Sexy"
- Dina Lohan Blasts Michael's Leaks: "For a Father to Stoop This Low Is Unforgivable"
Fashion Police
Bella DonnaWe're totally smitten by Kristen's lovely and elegant turn while promoting New Moon in Paris
More Photos
Latest Movie Reviews
Get Your E! News Now
0 Comments
Now loading...