Actor Christian Slater arrested in NY for groping

Christian Slater

NEW YORK - Actor Christian Slater has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse and forcible touching after a woman accused him of groping her buttocks, authorities said.

Slater, 35, was accused of groping the woman, a stranger, at a small store after he was seen arguing with his girlfriend, prosecutors said. The victim called police and identified the actor, who was arrested shortly after 2 am Tuesday in Manhattan's Upper East Side, they said.

"The victim, a stranger, was at a bodega buying a soda when he grabbed and squeezed her buttocks. His girlfriend yelled 'Stop. What are you doing?' The defendant walked away," said assistant district attorney Vanessa Puzio at Slater's bail hearing.

Local media reported that Slater, who is appearing on Broadway in "The Glass Menagerie," appeared intoxicated.

He was released on no bail.

The misdemeanor sexual abuse charge carries a possible three-month jail sentence, while the charge of "forcible touching" carries a potential jail term of one year.

At the bail hearing before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Patricia Nunez, Puzio said Slater shouted at the arresting officer: "'This is bullshit. I didn't do anything.

"'I'm going to sue everybody,"' she quoted him as saying.

The actor who appeared in "Heathers," "True Romance," and "Untamed Heart" has had previous brushes with the law. He was arrested in 1997 for assaulting his girlfriend and a police officer while intoxicated on cocaine at a Los Angeles party. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after pleading no contest.

In 1994, the New York native was arrested for bringing a gun on an airplane.

While Slater hid his face during much of the court proceedings, he waved to the crowd of media and onlookers and gave a thumbs-up sign as he left the courthouse.

The judge set July 14 for a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Slater also appeared in the movies "Broken Arrow" and "Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles."

- REUTERS