West Wing Creator Aaron Sorkin ArrestedOn Drug Charges

LOS ANGELES – Aaron Sorkin, creator of the Emmy-winning drama The West Wing, was arrested at an airport for investigation of drug possession, officials said Monday.

Sorkin, 39, was arrested Sunday at Burbank Airport when a search allegedly found "illicit mushrooms" in a carryon suitcase, airport spokesman Victor Gill said.

Sorkin, who has admitted past problems with substance abuse, was taken to Burbank city jail for booking. He was released Sunday night on $10,000 bond, Gill said.

"He was going through a screening checkpoint and personnel managing the checkpoint decided something was suspicious and needed further investigation," Gill said. Sorkin was en route to Las Vegas.

Airport police were summoned to search Sorkin, who suffered a brief fainting spell but declined medical help. Sorkin was sober and cooperative, Gill said.

Further details on the nature of the mushrooms was not immediately available, he said. Certain types of mushrooms are mood-altering hallucinogens.

A playwright turned movie and TV writer, Sorkin wrote the Broadway and film versions of the military drama A Few Good Men, the screenplay for The American President and the TV comedy Sports Night.

"I am glad to be surrounded by such a supportive group of people and am prepared to proceed as directed by my attorney and in the best interest of my family," Sorkin said in a statement Monday.

"I appreciate your respect for my family's privacy during this period," he added.

The West Wing, starring Martin Sheen as the president, won a record-setting nine Emmys last year. Sorkin has addressed the issue of drug abuse in the series, portraying the chief of staff as a recovering addict.

"It's finally coming out of the closet as a health problem, not a criminal problem," Sorkin told The Associated Press in January. "I think that as people become more aware of that about addiction, they find there are interesting ways to tell stories about it."

Sorkin is one of several Hollywood figures to be beset by drug woes.

Actor Robert Downey Jr. faces trial this month on drug possession charges stemming from a Palm Springs arrest last year, while Friends star Matthew Perry has sought help for chemical dependency.