LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Actress Rose McGowan was arraigned Thursday on a felony cocaine charge, days after she alleged in The New Yorker that the drugs may been planted to discredit her.
This image released, Nov. 14, 2017 by the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office shows the booking photo for actress Rose McGowan who surrendered to Airports Authority Police on charges of possession of a controlled substance.
One of the most outspoken actresses to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse, McGowan told the magazine that she’s been so fearful of the movie mogul that she hired her own private investigator to make sure the drug warrant against her was real.
Weinstein has denied the allegations.
McGowan, 44, is accused by prosecutors of possessing cocaine that was found in a wallet recovered by an airline crew after her Jan. 20 flight to Washington Dulles International Airport, where she had flown to join the Women’s March in the nation’s capital.
McGowan said she reported the lost wallet to the airline after landing. She told the magazine that it must have been taken from her backpack while she was traveling, possibly when she left it on her airline seat while using the restroom.
McGowan had been expected to appear in a courtroom for her arraignment, but a judge agreed to waive her appearance at the request of her lawyer. The judge scheduled a preliminary hearing for Jan. 23. McGowan told the magazine that she “will clearly plead not guilty.”
McGowan’s lawyer, James Hundley, declined to comment as he left the courthouse.
McGowan appeared in the “Charmed” television series and in numerous films, including “Scream” in 1996.
By STEVE HELBER
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