Ryan O'Neal - actor and son, arrested at home
09/17/08
MALIBU, Calif. -- Actor Ryan O'Neal and his son were arrested at their Malibu home Wednesday on suspicion of drug possession, authorities said.
Deputies arrested the pair about 7:30 a.m. after going to the 21000 block of Pacific Coast Highway to conduct a "compliance check" on Redmond O'Neal, 23, who was on probation on a drug-related charge, said Steve Whitmore of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The compliance check began about 5:30 a.m.
Redmond O'Neal and his father, 67, were booked on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, and each was held on $10,000 bail, Whitmore said. Both were in the process of posting bail late this morning.
Whitmore could not confirm a report on the celebrity news Web site TMZ.com that the drug involved in the case was methamphetamine. The Web site reported that investigators found Redmond O'Neal in possession of drugs and found a vial in Ryan O'Neal's room.
TMZ: Ryan O'Neal Busted in Meth Mess
Redmond O'Neal, whose mother is Farrah Fawcett, pleaded guilty in June to one felony count each of possession of heroin and methamphetamine and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of drugs. He was placed on three years probation and was due back in court on that case for a progress report hearing on Oct. 31.
Ryan O'Neal was arrested following a fight with his then-42-year-old son Griffin. O'Neal, who fired a shot during the altercation, was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm.
Prosecutors, however, declined to file any charges, concluding there was "insufficient evidence to prove this case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt."
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Ryan O'Neal, son
formally charged with drug possession
Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:07pm EDT
By Steve Gorman
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ryan O'Neal and his son, Redmond, were formally charged on Thursday with possession of methamphetamine and other drug offenses stemming from a search of their home last month.
The 67-year-old actor and his son, 23, were arrested together on September 17 after police conducted a sweep of their Malibu home under the terms of Redmond O'Neal's probation for an earlier drug possession case.
Police found methamphetamine in the father's bedroom as well as in his son's possession, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.
Both men were charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, and the son was additionally charged with lesser counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and illegal possession of pepper spray.
Felony drug possession carries a possible maximum sentence of three years in prison, but neither man is likely do any time behind bars if convicted.
Because the elder O'Neal, an Oscar nominee for his 1970 role in "Love Story," has no previous record, he would probably be placed in a drug rehabilitation program, Robison said. His son, too, would likely see his court-ordered rehab extended.
Redmond O'Neal, the son of actress Farrah Fawcett, pleaded guilty in June to possessing heroin and methamphetamine and driving under the influence, and was placed on three years' probation. In a court appearance on October 8, he admitted to a relapse and was ordered to undergo two weeks of treatment.
Both men are due in court on November 13 to enter pleas in connection with the latest case. Ryan O'Neal's agent was not immediately available for comment.
Ryan O'Neal first came to fame on the 1960s prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" and more recently has appeared in the Fox network drama "Bones."
Daughter Tatum O'Neal, 44, a former child actress who won an Oscar for her role opposite her father in the 1973 film "Paper Moon," pleaded guilty in July to disorderly conduct stemming from a drug arrest.
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Drugs were my son Redmond's, says Ryan O'Neal
By Nancy Dillon - Daily News West Coast Bureau
October 16th 2008
LOS ANGELES - Actor Ryan O'Neal is "very upset" the Los Angeles district attorney decided to charge him with felony drug possession Wednesday, his lawyer told the Daily News.
The drugs found in the 67-year-old actor's Malibu home Sept. 17 weren't his, the lawyer said. They belonged to Redmond O'Neal, the star's 23-year-old son with actress Farrah Fawcett, O'Neal's lawyer Mark Werksman said.
"The drugs in the house were Redmond's. They weren't Ryan's. He doesn't use drugs. This is really painful for him. Dealing with Redmond's addiction has been the bane of his existence," Werksman said. "Ryan is very upset about this, as you can expect."
Redmond was placed on probation following his June guilty plea for felony drug possession. Both father and son were arrested after deputies searching the home as a condition of Redmond's probation allegedly found the drugs.
"We would not have filed the charges if we did not think the evidence supported them," said district attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons.
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