Winona Ryder Felony charges filed

Ryder’s attorney, Mark Geragos, contended the ‘Girl, Interrupted’ star was merely carrying items between store departments, not trying to steal them.

Actress is charged with theft, burglary,
vandalism and possession of drugs
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 1 —  Winona Ryder was charged Friday with four felony counts stemming from her shoplifting arrest at a Saks Fifth Avenue in December. The Oscar-nominated actress was charged with theft, burglary, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance. Although she is free on $20,000 bond, prosecutors recommended raising the bail to $30,000.

SHE IS SCHEDULED to be arraigned in Beverly Hills on Feb. 8.
       The 30-year-old actress was arrested Dec. 12 for stealing merchandise worth $4,760 and possessing painkillers without a prescription.
       Beverly Hills police said store security officers saw her cut security tags from the store items with a pair of scissors, cram the items in her bag and leave the store.
       Ryder’s attorney, Mark Geragos, contended the “Girl, Interrupted” star was merely carrying items between store departments, not trying to steal them.
       
SAID TO BE ‘MISUNDERSTANDING’
       Geragos said at the time of the arrest that his client’s arrest stemmed from a “misunderstanding.” He also predicted the case ultimately would be dismissed.
       The drug possession charge relates to a small amount of pills, identified by prosecutors as the painkiller Oxycodone, that Ryder allegedly was found carrying without a prescription.
       Geragos has said Ryder had receipts for other items she bought in the store, and that she had a valid prescription for the painkillers.
       Geragos could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.
       
A STAR’S TROUBLES
       Ryder earned Oscar nominations for playing the heroines in period films, “Little Women” and “The Age of Innocence.” She also won acclaim for depicting a troubled young woman in “Girl, Interrupted” and starred in “Heathers,” “Beetlejuice” and “Reality Bites.”

 A star since her teens, Ryder grew up in hippie surroundings, living at times in San Francisco and on a California commune. Her family’s friends included beat poet Allen Ginsberg, and her godfather was psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary.
       Ryder has maintained a grueling film schedule she has blamed for causing occasional mental breakdowns. She has been hospitalized several times for exhaustion and has told reporters she has sometimes tried to drown her anxiety attacks and depression in alcohol. She lost a pivotal role in 1990’s “The Godfather: Part III” days before filming began because of anxiety and exhaustion.
       Ryder also has been known for her social activism. In 1993, she offered a $200,000 reward to help find Polly Klaas, who was kidnapped at age 12 from Ryder’s hometown of Petaluma, Calif., and later found dead.