Winona Ryder Trial Postponed Until Oct. 15
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) – The trial of actress Winona Ryder on charges of shoplifting $4,800 worth of goods from a department store, expected to start on Monday, was delayed until next week because of scheduling conflicts involving the judge and defense lawyers in the case.
The two-time Oscar nominee was not in court and remains free on bond. Beverly Hill Superior Court Judge Eldon Fox ordered her attorney to bring her to court on Oct. 15 for jury selection.
“It has been agreed that this matter will be continued to Oct. 15 for jury trial,” Fox said during the brief hearing.
On Friday, Ryder’s attorney Mark Geragos called the judge to say he could not begin the trial because of previous court commitments. The judge also had a conflict.
Ryder was accused of stealing $4,800 worth of clothes and accessories during a Beverly Hills shopping spree last year, and prosecutors want to admit evidence of alleged previous misdeeds by the “Girl, Interrupted” star.
Geragos has maintained Ryder is a victim of a misunderstanding and is being singled out for especially harsh treatment because of her celebrity status.
The 30-year-old actress is charged with grand theft, second-degree burglary and vandalism for allegedly cutting security tags off merchandise in a Saks Fifth Avenue store last Dec. 12 and walking out the door without paying for the items.
She also was charged with possession of a controlled substance in connection with a prescription painkiller she was found to be carrying.
Ryder has pleaded innocent to all the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in prison.
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