Monday, August 16, 2010

Judge rules against Rip Torn probation in bank break-in case

Emmy Award-winning actor Rip Torn could be heading down to the jail house. On Wednesday, a judge ruled against his request for a special probation program, stating the charges are too severe to qualify him. Rip Torn was arrested earlier this year in January for breaking into a Connecticut bank, drunk and armed.

Rip Torn’s case and the charges involved

Rip Torn, whose real name is Elmore Rual Torn, has had troubles in the past with alcohol-related incidents. Salisbury, Conn., is where the latest event took place, where he was arrested not just for breaking into a Litchfield Bancorp branch office during closing hours, but for carrying a firearm without a permit, also. Police easily responded to the alarm that went off in the bank. Holding a loaded .22-caliber pistol, the Men in Black actor was found wandering inside the facility. According to court records, Torn had a blood-alcohol level of 0.203, almost three times the legal 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.

Other criminal incidents related to alcohol

In January of 2004, Torn was arrested in the Big Apple after his car crashed into a taxi. An angry Rip Torn was broadcasted all over news outlets refusing to take a breathalyzer test while cursing at police officers. He was acquitted from all charges in October of that year. 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, had his driver’s license revoked for 90 days and was ordered to pay a $ 380 fine.

Connecticut judge says no to 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. Torn was nevertheless in a court-ordered alcohol education program from a previous DUI charge at the time of the bank break-in, and that fact certainly doesn’t help his situation. His lawyer has requested a court-ordered evaluation of Torn’s alcohol dependency troubles, and depending on the results, Torn could possibly be ordered to go through a state-monitored treatment for up to two years before any charges might be dropped.

More on this topic

Yahoo News

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100811/ap_on_en_tv/us_people_rip_torn_12



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