BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (May 22, 2007) — Veteran character actor Tom Sizemore pleaded not guilty to felony drug charges Tuesday in Kern County Superior Court, authorities said.
Sizemore, 45, was arrested May 8 after police found two bags of suspected methamphetamine and smoking pipes in his car parked outside a hotel in Bakersfield, about 110 miles northeast of Los Angeles, police said.
The actor, who at the time was still on probation for a previous drug conviction, faces seven drug-related charges, including transportation and possession of methamphetamines, possession of prescription drugs without the proper prescription and being under the influence of a controlled substance. He also faces a vandalism charge.
He faces up to 6 years in prison if convicted of all charges, said prosecutor Cynthia Zimmer of the Kern County District Attorney’s Office.
Calls to Sizemore’s attorney were not immediately returned.
Officers responded to a call at the Four Points Sheraton about 7:30 a.m., after another actor accompanying Sizemore challenged an employee to fight while trying to check in, Detective Greg Terry said.
Police discovered the actor, Jason Salcido, 33, was on parole and was carrying a pipe. They later learned he was with Sizemore, who was sitting in a 2004 Ford Mustang in the hotel parking lot.
Sizemore was booked at the Kern County Jail but was released the same day after posting $14,000 bail, authorities said.
Sizemore, who appeared in “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down,” was convicted in 2003 of domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend, former Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss.
He will next appear in court on June 18, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for the following day.
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