BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – Actress Winona Ryder pleaded innocent Tuesday to four felony counts of theft, burglary, vandalism and possession of a controlled substance, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.
Ryder was arrested Dec. 12 for allegedly stealing about $4,800 in clothing from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. Police said she also possessed the painkiller Oxycodone, a morphine derivative, without a prescription.
The 30-year-old actress faces up to three years and eight months in prison if convicted, but could also be sentenced to as little as probation.
Ryder remains free on $20,000 bond, and a preliminary hearing was scheduled for March 11.
Beverly Hills police said store security officers saw Ryder remove security tags from several items, place them in her bag and leave the store.
Her attorney, Mark Geragos, said Ryder was only carrying items between store departments and had a valid prescription for the drugs.
Ryder earned Oscar nominations for playing the heroines in the period films Little Women and The Age of Innocence.
She played a drug-abusing, depressed young woman locked in a mental asylum in Girl, Interrupted and has starred in Heathers, Edward Scissorhands and the upcoming comedy Mr. Deeds with Adam Sandler.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox