Star arrested for groping
2005-06-01 08:28
New York - Christian Slater, who is appearing in a revival of The Glass Menagerie on Broadway, has been arrested on a charge that he groped a woman.
Slater and his girlfriend were arguing at a small grocery store on Manhattan's Upper East Side early on Tuesday, a prosecutor said in Manhattan criminal court. Another woman was buying a soda in the store when Slater allegedly walked up behind her and grabbed her buttocks, the prosecutor said.
The woman, who wasn't identified, flagged down police, said police spokesperson Detective John Sweeney. Slater, 35, was found nearby and the woman identified him as the man who allegedly groped her.
Slater was charged with third-degree sexual abuse. He didn't enter a plea when he appeared in court, chewing gum and wearing a blue shirt, jeans and a beige jacket. He was given a July 14 court date and left without speaking to reporters.
Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Puzio said Slater cursed at the arresting officer and said, "I didn't do anything. I'm suing you and the police department."
Puzio asked that Slater be ordered to put up $1 000 (about R6 800) bail, citing his previous record; the judge denied the request.
Slater, whose screen credits include Heathers, Interview With the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles and Broken Arrow, filed for divorce earlier this year from TV producer Ryan Haddon.
In 1998, he served 59 days in jail in La Verne, California, on battery and drug charges. Good behavior cut down his three-month sentence. He pleaded no contest to the charges in an August 1997 incident, when he binged on drugs and alcohol, beat his girlfriend during a brawl and assaulted a police officer.
- AP