Bynes appears in NYC court in suspected bong toss

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11 years ago

Amanda Bynes arrives for a court appearance, in New York, Tuesday. The 27-year-old actress is charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with physical evidence. Bynes was arrested in May after building officials called police to complain she was smoking pot in the lobby. Officers went to her apartment where they say they saw a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. Prosecutors say she tossed the bong out the window in front of the officers.

Amanda Bynes, accompanied by attorney Gerald Shargel, arrives for a court appearance in New York, Tuesday. The 27-year-old actress is charged with reckless endangerment and attempted tampering with physical evidence. Bynes was arrested in May after building officials called police to complain she was smoking pot in the lobby. Officers went to her apartment where they say they saw a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. Prosecutors say she tossed the bong out the window in front of the officers.

NEW YORK — Amanda Bynes wore a long aqua wig, false eyelashes and black sweatpants and a tank top for a brief court appearance Tuesday on allegations that she chucked a marijuana bong out the window of her 36th-floor Manhattan apartment.

The 27-year-old actress did not speak during the hearing that lasted mere minutes, but she drew a throng of photographers and television cameras as she entered and left the criminal court building in lower Manhattan. Neither she nor her attorney spoke to reporters outside court.

Bynes was arrested May 23 after building officials at her midtown apartment called police to complain that she was rolling a joint and smoking pot in the lobby. Officers went to her apartment, where they said they saw heavy smoke and a bong sitting on the kitchen counter. They said she tossed the bong out the window in front of them, according to prosecutors. A day later, in her first court appearance, she wore a disheveled blond wig.

Bynes rose to fame starring in Nickelodeon’s “All That” and has also starred in several films, including 2010’s “Easy A.” But she has been in the news more recently because of several scrapes with the law and bizarre public behavior.

In a Twitter post after her first court appearance, she accused the officers who arrested her of sexual assault; police are looking into her claims. She also has taken to social media to criticize a host of celebrities recently.

Bynes had no previous arrests in New York, but she was involved in several California cases. In December, the “Hairspray” star resolved a misdemeanor hit-and-run case after entering into a civil settlement with other drivers. She was charged last fall with driving on a suspended license after it was temporarily taken away from her following two hit-and-run cases where she was accused of leaving the scene without providing proper information. She has also pleaded not guilty to drunken driving in a separate case.

It’s not clear how the New York case will affect the California ones.

Manhattan prosecutors filed an affidavit from her building manager, Rudy Toro, corroborating police and prosecutors’ account of the tale. Bynes’ next court appearance was scheduled for Sept. 26.

She left court with her attorney, Gerald Shargel, wearing sunglasses into a waiting black Mercedes sedan.