Jun 3, 2008 12:03 am US/Eastern
Tatum O'Neal Arrested On Drug Charges
Actress Accused Of Possessing Crack Cocaine, Allegedly Tells Cops That She Suffered A Relapse
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
Oscar-winning actress Tatum O'Neal, who has a history of drug problems, is free after being arrested on Sunday night in lower Manhattan
The NYPD tells CBS 2 HD O'Neal was picked up in the process of making a buy. It happened outside a Lower East Side Chinese restaurant.
When she came out of court Monday afternoon, the 44 year-old actress said nothing, got into a car and was driven off. O'Neal, who lives on East Broadway on the Lower East Side, was charged with drug possession. It happened just two blocks from her apartment. A narcotics team was conducting a drug sweep on Clinton Street, between East Broadway and Grand, around 7:30 p.m. Sunday.
Police say O'Neal solicited drugs from a suspected drug dealer, and when police moved in, they allegedly found two bags of drugs: one was crack, the other regular cocaine, as well as a crack pipe.
Police sources tell CBS 2 HD O'Neal initially told cops she was doing research for a part, asking for them to give her a break, but then, allegedly said, "I've been clean a long time. Today was the first time I was relapsing."
She's best known for the movie "Paper Moon," which won her an Oscar at the age of 10.
O'Neal, who has three grown children with tennis great John McEnroe, wrote in her 2004 memoir, "A Paper Life," that boozing and drug addiction was in her DNA.
"Genetics or DNA plays a big role in addiction," said Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal, the founder of the drug treatment center Phoenix House.
Rosenthal would not talk specifically about O'Neal, whose late mother was an addict, but he said it's a problem that runs in families.
"We see lots of kids at Phoenix House who were introduced to drugs not by a pusher at school, but by a family member," Rosenthal said.
The charge O'Neal is facing is a misdemeanor. She was released on her own recognizance.
The alleged drug dealer, 33-year-old Alan Garcia, was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance.
(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
WCBSTV.com's Most Popular Pages
