LINCOLN BLVD. — Actor Daniel Baldwin was arrested at a Santa Monica hotel last weekend for possession of cocaine, and other charges, police said.
The 45-year-old Baldwin — the lesser known brother of fellow actors Alec, Stephen and William — was arrested on Saturday, April 22, along with another man at the Ocean Park Inn around 5:09 p.m. after police responded to a call that a man was threatening a woman in one of the inn’s rooms, Santa Monica Police Lt. Frank Fabrega said.
When officers arrived at the inn, they entered the room only to find no female inside. During their investigation, Baldwin and his companion, Winston Anthony Hunter, 52, allegedly admitted to using narcotics and were in possession of a glass pipe. Police searched the two and found a small amount of cocaine and a pipe. The two were arrested and booked for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and being under the influence of narcotics, Fabrega said.
Baldwin’s bail was set at $10,000. Hunter had no bail due to a parole hold, Fabrega said.
The case was presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, which declined to file felony charges and referred the matter to the City Attorney’s Office for filing consideration on misdemeanor charges, Fabrega said.
The City Attorney’s Office is still evaluating the case. Baldwin, who has appeared in several films and television movies, has a history of drug use, having admitted in 1998 to having been hospitalized in “critical condition” after he was found in his hotel room suffering from a suspected drug overdose, according to the Internet Movie Database.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 28, 2006. Read the original PDF.