Beverly Hills, Calif., police arrested Ryder, 30, after she allegedly went out for a bizarre Christmas shopping spree. According to cops, Ryder walked into the Saks Fifth Avenue store on Wilshire Boulevard carrying a large bag. They allege the actress then proceeded to walk around the store for some 45 minutes, removed security tags on $4,700 worth of women’s clothing and hair accessories, placed the items in her bag, and then walked out without paying. Store security guards claim to have captured the entire incident on camera. They stopped Ryder on the sidewalk outside the store and alerted police.
A “polite and cooperative” Ryder was arrested on charges of felony grand theft, as well as three counts of felony possession of pain medication without a prescription. (The cops claim they found a vial of liquid pain medication and several pain pills in Ryder’s purse.) The actress was released close to midnight on Wednesday after posting a $20,000 bond.
News of a celebrity arrest was a holiday treat for the Hollywood press corps, who’ve felt out of the loop ever since the “all war, all the time” mantra took over the news. A gaggle of reporters braved the blustery 55 degree weather for a news conference outside the faux Italian villa that houses the Beverly Hills Police Department on Thursday afternoon. After Lieutenant Gary Gilmond explained the charges, Ryder’s attorney, Mark Geragos, energized the assembled crowd by declaring that the entire shoplifting incident was nothing more than a scene from a bad movie.
“The left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing,” he said, referring to the Saks security team. Geragos, who successfully defended Whitewater figure Susan McDougal on grand theft charges, claimed, “My client never had any intent to deprive anybody of any property. She did buy items yesterday. We anticipate that all the counts, all the charges that she was arrested on will be dismissed, once I give them the full story.”
Geragos declined to elaborate further at the press conference. In an interview with NEWSWEEK Friday morning, Geragos said that neither he nor the police have seen the Saks surveillance video. But, he remained confident Ryder would be vindicated. “There are three counts [concerning the] prescription medicine. She does have a valid prescription, so there is a complete defense to those charges. The police agreed that as soon as I produce the prescriptions, those charges would be dropped. Ultimately, it will be shown that there was no theft here, whatsoever. I’m confident we’ll get rid of it before the 11th of January, which is the date she’s set to appear in court.”
Asked to explain why Ryder allegedly removed security tags from items and placed them in her bag, Geragos would only say, “I believe there was a misunderstanding with the store. I’ll talk with the store to see if we can resolve that. I don’t think personnel in various areas knew what personnel were doing in other areas.”
Perhaps Ryder had items on hold that she thought had been paid for? “Exactly,” replied Geragos. “There are issues that I’ll have to work through with the store. But, there is definitely an explanation. Once I address it with them, I think they’ll recognize that it was a miscommunication, and we’ll be able to resolve it.”
As for the buzz about Ryder’s mental state, Geragos said, “Everybody who talked to her the evening of the incident said she was fine. The police said she was extremely cooperative. I spent hours with her yesterday and there was nothing untoward that I saw. She was delightful. She’s obviously concerned as anyone would be. She’s a little bit traumatized. But, she’s all there.”
He added, “My client is far from troubled. If anything, this is a woman who has dedicated quite a bit of her free time to charitable endeavors. By all accounts, she’s adored by people who know her and spend time with her. She’s got the support of people around her, and people are rallying around her.” But could the video change all that?
