Rip Torn, an Emmy Award-winning actor, could be heading to the jail house. His request for a special probation program was rejected Wednesday by a judge who ruled the charges are too serious to qualify the actor. Earlier this year in January, Rip Torn was arrested for breaking into a bank in Connecticut, armed and intoxicated.
Criminal charges on Rip Torn
Elmore Rual Torn, Jr., better known as Rip Torn, has had several alcohol-related troubles in the past. The latest drunken event took place in Salisbury, Conn., where Torn was arrested for allegedly breaking into a local branch office of Litchfield Bancorp during closing hours while loaded with a firearm without a permit. Police quickly responded to the alarm that went off in the bank. The Men in Black actor was found wandering inside the facility holding a loaded .22-caliber pistol. Torn had a blood-alcohol level of 0.203, as outlined by court documents, which is nearly three times the lawful limit for Connecticut drivers.
The Associated Press reports that Torn had pleaded not guilty to second-degree criminal trespassing, third-degree criminal mischief, carrying a firearm without a permit and carrying a weapon while intoxicated.
Rip Torn and other incidents related to alcohol
In early 2004, Torn was arrested after his car crashed into a taxi in the Big Apple. An angry Rip Torn was broadcasted all over news outlets refusing to take a breathalyzer test while cursing at police officers. That year in October he was acquitted from all charges. In December 2006, just two years later, the actor was again arrested for drunk driving in North Salem, New York, after crashing into a tractor trailer. He pleaded guilty to the charges, had his driver license suspended for 90 days and was ordered to pay a fine of $ 380.
Judge denies Rip Torn’s special request
Unfortunately for Rip Torn, Litchfield Superior Court Judge James Ginocchio has ruled that the charges placed on the 79-year-old actor for breaking into a Connecticut bank in January are too significant to qualify him for the accelerated rehabilitation program. It doesn’t help that, at the time of the bank break-in, Torn was nevertheless in a court-ordered alcohol education program from an earlier DUI charge. A court-ordered evaluation of Torn’s alcohol dependency issues was requested by his lawyer, and depending on the results, Torn could be ordered to undertake a state-monitored treatment for up to two years before charges can be dropped.
Additional reading
Yahoo News
news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100811/ap_on_en_tv/us_people_rip_torn_12
