Leo Gillick
Comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez has been arrested while leaving a restaurant in California and charged with drug possession.
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70-year-old Rodriguez was enjoying a meal with a woman in Burbank. When he went to leave, people in the restaurant expressed concern for the welfare of the comedian and his companion. According to reports, they appeared to be under the influence of drugs before he climbed into his car.
Police went on the hunt for Rodriguez, finding him in the driver’s seat of the car with the woman in the passenger seat. On inspection of the vehicle, drugs were found in her bag. The comedian was then arrested and charged with misdemeanor possession of narcotics. The woman was charged with drug possession.
According to the report, the drugs found were Xanax and heroin.
Rodrigues was released the next morning with a citation. He will be expected to appear in court on September 5th to face charges. However, he claims that the drugs were not his.
Comedian Paul Rodriguez’s Repeated Run-Ins With the Law
This isn’t the first time Rodriguez has faced drug charges in the same city. Only five months before, he was fighting against charges of possession and being under the influence. However, Bobby Samini, lawyer for the arrested comedian, says these charges were false.
According to TMZ, Rodriguez was taking a nap in the passenger seat of a car when a police officer on a power trip came and slapped him awake. He then accused the comedian of being on drugs and arrested him. However, Paul and his lawyer claim the drugs belonged to the person driving, and not the comedian.
“He fully cooperated with law enforcement at all times,” Samini said when Rodriguez was arrested. “Law enforcement asserted that the driver of the vehicle was in possession of a controlled substance. Mr. Rodriguez did not have any controlled substance in his possession, nor was he under the influence of any controlled substance.”
We’ll see what becomes of the case once it goes to court. However, there’s two different events being issued by either side as the truth for now.
