DA: Not Ryder's First Brush with Law

By Stephen M. Silverman

Tuesday June 11, 2002 01:45 AM EDT

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Yahoo Buzz
• E-mail

Prosecutors may try to show that "Girl, Interrupted" star Winona Ryder's alleged theft last December wasn't her first, the Associated Press reports. Court records indicate no previous convictions against Ryder, 30, but a notice filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office weeks ago reveals the prosecution's possible strategy to show that her alleged actions are part of a pattern of behavior. "We did file notice of a motion to admit prior acts," District Attorney spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons told the AP, "but we don't discuss evidence unless it is testified on the record." Ryder, who is due back in court Friday, faces charges of second-degree burglary, grand theft, vandalism and possession of the controlled drug Oxycodone, a painkiller, without a prescription, in connection with the incident, during which she is accused of stealing $4,700 worth of designer goods from the Beverly Hills branch of Saks Fifth Avenue. If convicted, she could face nearly four years in state prison. Ryder's attorney Mark Geragos has accused the Saks security staff of "lying through their teeth" and of targeting Ryder because she is a celebrity, reports Reuters.