BALDWIN IN COURT FOR BATTERY TRIAL.Byline: Jeannette DeSantis Daily News Staff Writer Amid a crush of cameras, actor Alec Baldwin showed up Wednesday for the first day of his misdemeanor battery trial, in which he is accused of breaking the nose of a photographer who videotaped his newborn child's homecoming Homecoming Odyssey concerning Odysseus’s difficulties in getting home after war. [Gk. Myth.: Odyssey] You Can’t Go Home Again revisiting his home town, a writer is disillusioned by what he sees. [Am. Lit. . Baldwin, 37, was not obliged o·blige v. o·bliged, o·blig·ing, o·blig·es v.tr. 1. To constrain by physical, legal, social, or moral means. 2. to attend as jury selection began in Van Nuys Municipal Court. "He wanted to be here," said his lawyer, Charles English. "He feels it's important that his side of this be presented. He hasn't done that." Baldwin declined comment, but English said the paparazzi pa·pa·raz·zo n. pl. pa·pa·raz·zi A freelance photographer who doggedly pursues celebrities to take candid pictures for sale to magazines and newspapers. have hounded his client relentlessly. "Alec has said on a number of occasions that he dreads dreads pl.n. Informal Dreadlocks. the day when his daughter says, 'Oh, Daddy How was it when you first brought me home from the hospital?' and he'll say, 'I was in jail.' It's a nightmare," the attorney said. The actor, whose latest film release is titled "The Juror juror n. any person who actually serves on a jury. Lists of potential jurors are chosen from various sources such as registered voters, automobile registration or telephone directories. ," has pleaded not guilty in the Oct. 26, 1995, incident involving Alan Zanger, 51. Zanger, considered to be the king of the celebrity stakeout stake·out n. Surveillance of an area, building, or person, especially by the police. stakeout Noun Slang, chiefly US & Canad a police surveillance of an area or house Verb , suffered facial injuries facial injuries, n.pl trauma to the face and its associated structures, most frequently from traffic accidents, contact sports, and domestic conflicts. and a broken nose in a scuffle outside Baldwin's home in Woodland Hills. When the 41 prospective jurors entered the Van Nuys courtroom Wednesday afternoon, Baldwin was asked to turn toward the crowd, and he complied with a slight smile. Baldwin faces up to six months in jail and a $2,000 fine if convicted. The trial is expected to last about a week, attorneys said. Prosecuting attorney Jeff Harkavy said he expects to call as witnesses Zanger and two eyewitnesses: Gary Nunez, a passer-by; and Frank Swann, driver for a photographer at the scene. Baldwin's celebrity status is an issue likely to be explored during jury selection, Harkavy said, to ensure that jurors will be objective in weighing the evidence. "It is always a concern when someone is in the public eye," Harkavy said. As Baldwin left the courthouse Wednesday he was quiet and dodged the waiting throng of reporters and cameras. "Mr. Baldwin routinely makes himself available to the media, but this is different," English said. "This is a trial." English said he anticipates that Baldwin will testify in his defense. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Alec Baldwin, left, leaves court Wednesday with his lawyer, Charles English, after jury selection began in Baldwin's trial. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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