Rip Torn thought bank was home: court docs
Last Updated: Monday, February 1, 2010 | 4:02 PM ET
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Actor Elmore (Rip) Torn, appears in a Connecticut court on Monday. Court documents indicate the actor was so drunk that he thought the bank he broke into was his home. (Jim Shannon, Pool/Associated Press) Court documents at the arraignment of actor Rip Torn, who was found drunk with a loaded weapon in a Connecticut bank last week, indicate the actor actually thought he was in his home.
The 78-year-old character actor, who has appeared in the Men in Black films as well as intermittently on the show 30 Rock, appeared in court on Monday near his hometown of Salisbury, Conn., where he was arrested last Friday night.
He did not enter a plea but was released on a $100,000 US bond and smiled and waved to onlookers as he exited the court in Litchfield, Conn.
Court materials say Torn, whose real name is Elmore Rual Torn, was so intoxicated when he broke into the bank carrying a loaded gun, he thought he had returned home. Torn had broken a window to get into the building and had placed his hat and boots by the door.
Officers responded to the bank's alarm on Friday night and discovered the actor wandering the lobby.
Documents say he kept asking the state troopers why they were taking him from his house.
The officers found a revolver in Torn's pocket and a breath test showed he had blood-alcohol level of 0.203, way above the 0.08 limit.
Heading back to rehab
This isn't the performer's first brush with the law. Last year, he was handed probation in a drunk driving case and completed the first stage of a rehab program. He also has two previous drunk driving arrests in New York.
His attorney, A. Thomas Waterfall, said the actor is expected to head back to rehab as early as Tuesday.
"Obviously, he wasn't there to commit a crime," said Waterfall, who adds that his client recalls nothing of the fateful night.
"He's a very nice person, a very friendly individual. Obviously, this is a serious event."
Torn is charged with criminal trespass, carrying a gun without a permit, carrying a gun while intoxicated, burglary and criminal mischief.
He is scheduled back in court on Feb. 17.
With files from The Associated PressShare Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Wildfires, high winds put northeastern Ontario on alert
- It's going to be a tense weekend in northeastern Ontario where strong, shifting winds have been fuelling a forest fire that has blanketed the Timmins area with smoke and ash. more »
- Labrador fire out of control
- A forest fire continues to burn out of control in Happy Valley-Goose Bay today, according to provincial firefighting officials. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Modern and traditional art scores at Joyner auction
- Both traditional and modern works fared well at Joyner Waddington's spring art auction in Toronto, with buyers snapping up lots by Group of Seven members as well as more contemporary artists. more »
- Prophetic Cosmopolis premieres at Cannes
- David Cronenberg says he didn't anticipate the Occupy Wall Street movement as he prepared to shoot Cosmopolis, his new film which made its world premiere Friday at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France. more »
- Jennifer Egan's newest story debuts on Twitter
- The latest short story from Pulitzer-winning writer Jennifer Egan is emerging 140 characters at a time via Twitter. more »
- Miller Brittain sketches restored by museum
- Canadian artist and social satirist Miller Brittain's larger than life chalk drawings may once again hang in Saint John. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 5:57 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 4:57 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- What a Greek euro exit could mean for Canada
- Third B.C. salmon farm quarantined
- RCMP officer charged in fatal crash
- Police probe Halifax homicide after shooting
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike


