Video surveillance at Saks
Posted on 08/24/2002 6:42:23 PM PDT by GeneD
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - Lawyers for actress Winona Ryder, who is accused of shoplifting from Saks Fifth Avenue, met with prosecutors and a judge on Friday behind closed doors amid speculation that a plea deal was in the works to settle the high-profile case.
Participants in the hastily arranged meeting were not immediately available for comment. A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office said that plea negotiations had been ongoing for some time but did not know if that was the subject of the hearing in the chambers of Superior Court Judge Elden Fox.
Spokeswoman Jane Robison said her office had not changed what it was willing to offer the star of "Girl Interrupted" in exchange for a plea, but declined further details. Ryder has been ordered to stand trial on four felony charges -- grand theft, second-degree burglary, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance, Oxycodone, which is a narcotic.
After the closed-door meeting, which was held with little notice, Fox set Ryder's next pretrial hearing for Sept. 5. At that hearing he was expected to set a date for her trial.
Ryder, who appeared alongside Adam Sandler in the comedy "Mr. Deeds," has pleaded innocent and is free on $20,000 bail. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, claims she is being prosecuted because of her celebrity and has declared her innocence.
She was ordered to stand trial after a hearing in which five prosecution witnesses testified, including a Saks security officer who told the court that she saw Ryder kneel on a dressing room floor and cut sensor tags off two purses.
I say give her probation and give her lots and lots of major roles ....
Ditto. She paid her dues last May by allowing "Saturday Night Live" to concoct a sketch where she's stealing clothes from a department store. The sketch aired in the last half-hour of the show, but she still looked a bit embarrassed -- and I wasn't surprised.
I say give her the same penalty every other person would get and I could care less what she looks like or if she can act.
Equality under the law.
So sick of these Hollywood brainless dolts who think they are above the system.
BTW, since she is part of the hate-America crowd send her off the some desert hole like Yemen and let them deal with her.
I wonder how many roles they have for one handed actresses
I agree, I think Saks should give her a five minute shopping spree to smooth over her damamged self esteem.
How dare they accuse her of stealing, don't they know WHO she is?
Video surveillance at Saks
Me too, but they are.
Okay, legal eagles...what would the penalties for this be? Two years in prison?
I don't see how someone can plead innocent when they're caught red-handed on camera!
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