Post date: Mar 11, 2011 11:47:0 AM
Police in Los Angeles search the home of Charlie Sheen following a phone tip alleging the actor had a gun.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES REUTERS - Charlie Sheen is no longer in possession of an antique rifle and a few bullets he formerly kept at his home in the hills of Los Angeles. The items were confiscated by police during a raid of his Mulholland Estates house Thursday (March 10, 2011) night.
Several officers were sent to Sheen's residence inside the exclusive gated community after receiving a telephone tip alleging the actor had a gun. Since the presence of a firearm is a violation of the temporary restraining order taken out against Sheen by his estranged wife Brooke Mueller on March 1st, law enforcement was dispatched to investigate.Sheen's attorney, Mark Gross, explained the situation to the dozens of media who showed up to cover the story.
"They were here executing a search warrant, which was issued as a result of the fact that there is a temporary restraining order, which was issued on March 1, 2011," said Gross. "And there was a statement by someone that called into question whether there was a violation of that order. They were therefore able to obtain a search warrant. They searched the residence, found nothing. Other than what I've indicated. I want to restate. The one weapon--not weapon, it's a gun from the 1800s. It's an antique gun. And the few bullets."
Gross, who told reporters he has represented Sheen for a year, emphatically denied police were considering placing a "5150 hold" on his client as the celebrity news website TMZ.com had been reporting earlier in the evening.
"Whoever is putting this 5150 hold stuff out there is way off base. I'm frankly offended by it. It's reckless. It's inappropriate. And there's nobody walking intelligently on the face of this earth that is intelligent and talking about a 5150 hold for Charlie."
A 5150 hold enables a person who is deemed to be a danger to himself or others to placed into a 72-hour detention against his or her will for evaluation and possible treatment.
Gross also declared there were no illegal drugs found on the premises.
"There were no drugs found in the house. I am very happy to say, there were no drugs found in the house. So anybody who's been speculating about drugs despite Charlie's sobriety, I hope you all will stop."
Gross also stated he Mueller was not "the accuser" who had initially contacted the Los Angeles Police Department to report Sheen had a gun.
Gross additionally stated Sheen and Mueller had reached a custody agreement over their twin sons, but refused to elaborate on the details. The couple, who married in May 2008, are separated and divorcing.
Sheen had been the highest paid actor on U.S. TV in his leading role on the top-rated program "Two and A Half Men" before he was fired this week. In the show he plays a hard-drinking, skirt-chasing bachelor, a plot based loosely on his own life.
For now, Sheen's wealth affords him to live in an upscale neighborhood that includes the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Wahlberg, Sylvester Stallone, Rod Stewart, and Denzel Washington. But his future seems more uncertain than ever at the moment.
During the past year, Sheen has run into legal troubles and been in and out of rehab for drug and alcohol abuse.
And in the past month his personal life has exploded into a highly-publicized scandal involving prostitutes and cocaine binges. Additionally, Sheen has sought media appearances which have shown him ranting at length about his list of grievances against those he claims have wronged him, including television executives and "trolls."