06/28/01: Poundstone, lewd acts?

[Freakapotimus]

Thursday June 28 12:18 AM ET
Comic Paula Poundstone Accused of Lewd Acts in LA

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Paula Poundstone was arrested in the celebrity-studded beach enclave of Malibu on Wednesday and charged with committing lewd acts upon a child and child endangerment, authorities said.

Poundstone, who appears on the syndicated TV game show ``To Tell the Truth,'' was charged with three counts of committing a lewd act on a child under age 14, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney said in a statement.

The popular 41-year-old comic, known for her political satire and observational humor, was also charged with endangering three other children, the spokeswoman said. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 13 years in prison.

The spokeswoman released no other details.

``I know Paula Poundstone well enough to know that these charges are 100 percent incorrect,'' her manager Bonnie Burns said in a statement.

``She has been an incredible parent,'' Burns said of Poundstone, who adopted two girls in 1997 and has been a foster mother.

``She's made huge sacrifices to see that children who weren't dealt the best cards in life were well taken care of and she's always shown herself to be completely honorable and full of integrity,'' Burns said.

``I believe when the truth comes out you'll see these charges are unsubstantiated and without merit,'' Burns said.

The District Attorney's spokesman said Poundstone was accused of committing the lewd acts on May 19 and again on June 6 and the child endangerment on June 6.

The Massachusetts-born Poundstone, who also appeared on the game show ``Hollywood Squares,'' was being held on $200,000 bail pending an arraignment on the charges.

[wdfcverfgtghm]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters)

What did she do!?!?!? that lady just sits around and talks about cats and shit! what did she do?

and what does (reuters) mean? i always see that

[shorbe]

Isn't Reuters the journalists or something? Like the agency? I don't know really. I'm just talking crap.

shorbe

[Freakapotimus]

At 6/29/01 01:02 AM, Anarchypenguin wrote: What did she do!?!?!? that lady just sits around and talks about cats and shit! what did she do?

I'll try to keep you updated, all I've read/heard was that it was sexually inappropriate.

and what does (reuters) mean? i always see that

Right off their website at http://www.reuters.com/

This year Reuters celebrates its 150th anniversary - an important milestone in our history. In the last 150 years, Reuters has been breaking new ground to deliver news and information significantly faster than anyone else, developing an enviable reputation for speed, accuracy, integrity and impartiality. Looking forward, the anniversary is a milestone in the transformation Reuters is undertaking and signals the exciting and dynamic times ahead.

Founded as a news agency in London in 1851 by Paul Julius Reuter, the company quickly established a reputation as a prime source of fast, accurate and unbiased foreign news, and has maintained its pre-eminence in this field. Today, Reuters is the world's leading news and financial information organisation, providing information and technology to help people around the world to make crucial decisions. Reuters is unrivalled in the scope, sophistication and amount of information it supplies to banks, the media, other businesses and private individuals.

Over the past 150 years, Reuters has led the way with new innovations in the dissemination and use of news and information. The next 150 years hold as much promise, as we continue to deliver our vision to make financial markets work on the internet.

[MisterSwill]

At 6/28/01 09:37 AM, Freakapotimus wrote: Thursday June 28 12:18 AM ET
Comic Paula Poundstone Accused of Lewd Acts in LA

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Paula Poundstone was arrested in the celebrity-studded beach enclave of Malibu on Wednesday and charged with committing lewd acts upon a child and child endangerment, authorities said...

Yeah, I know! I went to a live taping of "Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me" last night and she was supposed to be there. Paula Poundstone has been one of my favorite comedians for a long time, and I just can't imagine her commiting a sexual crime against a child (not that I know her or anything).

The worst part of news stories like this is that the reporters are not given any details, so the name of the charge becomes the only detail in the story, and the masses are left to fill in the blanks with their imaginations. ("She was charged with a lewd act against a child under 14! Oh my god, she must be a child molestor!")

Remember, the charge could be completely baseless, like in the incident in which a mother was arrested for child-pornography because she took pictures of her kid in the bath. We don't even know who lodged the complaint, or why. And we do have to remember that one of the fundamental concepts of the U.S. legal system is that people must be considered innocent until proven otherwise. Even the head of child welfare in LA said the same thing.

[Freakapotimus]

An update:

Monday July 9 5:35 PM ET
Comedian Poundstone in Alcohol Rehab-Lawyer
By Dan Whitcomb

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Paula Poundstone, who is accused of sexually abusing a girl and endangering four other minors, is being treated for alcoholism, her lawyer said on Monday, adding that the comedian's drinking problem ``had a bearing'' on the allegations.

Attorney Steven Cron said the 41-year-old comic arranged to enter a live-in alcohol rehabilitation center ``well before'' police began investigating her in the case and checked into the Santa Monica facility before her arrest.

``It is my belief that Paula's drinking problems clearly had a bearing on the allegations that led to her arrest,'' Cron said in the statement. ``Nonetheless, after having had a chance to study the details of the case against her, I remain convinced that she is not guilty of the charges pending against her.''

Cron declined to elaborate on how Poundstone's alcohol problem could have led to the charges against her.

A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, which has released few details on the case, would not comment on Cron's statement.

After an investigation by Santa Monica police and a Los Angeles County child protective agency, Poundstone was arrested on June 27 and charged with three counts of lewd acts on a child under 14 and three counts of child endangerment. She was released on bail several hours later.

The comedian, who has three adopted children and has cared for a number of foster children, pleaded innocent to the charges at a hearing last week and was ordered by a judge to stay away from the alleged victims in the case and all unsupervised children.

POLICE VAULTED OVER A WALL

She faces a maximum of 13 years in prison if convicted.

A source close to the case said Poundstone had already made arrangements to check into the alcohol treatment center when authorities told her on June 8 that she was under investigation and took the children into foster care.

The source said Poundstone entered the alcohol treatment facility on June 11. She was still there two weeks later when police officers vaulted over a wall and arrested her, the source, said, a confrontation that her lawyer and supporters have criticized as unnecessary.

``Well before the start of the investigations that led to her arrest, Paula came to grips with the fact that she had a serious problem with alcohol that was adversely affecting both her personal and professional life,'' Cron said.

``Except for the several hours she spent in custody after her arrest and the time she spent in court for her arraignment, Paula has been in treatment ever since,'' he said. ``For her children's sake as well as her own, she is determined to deal with her drinking problem and reunite her family.''

Prosecutors have said that the ``lewd acts'' charges against Poundstone all related to a single child, a girl and that the alleged crime took place on May 19, June 5 and June 6.

The charges are filed against defendants accused of ``any type of touching of a child under the age of 14 for a sexual purpose,'' prosecutors said.

The child endangerment charge against Poundstone, who regularly appears on the syndicated game show ``To Tell the Truth,'' involves four other children.

Photo Caption
Paula Poundstone, who is accused of sexually abusing a girl and endangering four other minors, is being treated for alcoholism, her lawyer said July 9, 2001, adding that the comedian's drinking problem 'had a bearing' on the allegations. Attorney Steven Cron said the 41-year-old comic arranged to enter a live-in alcohol rehabilitation center 'well before' police began investigating her in the case and checked into the Santa Monica facility before her arrest. Poundstone is seen arriving for arraignment at Santa Monica courthouse July 3. (Fred Prouser/Reuters)