At long last, Winona Ryder will have her day in court. After numerous delays, many of them due to the busy dance card of her own lawyer, Mark Geragos, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elden Fox has finally set a date of Oct. 7 for the start of Ryder's trial on charges of shoplifting and possessing a painkillers without a prescription.
There was talk that the case might never come to trial because Ryder's lawyers and prosecutors had been trying to reach a plea agreement. But those talks broke down, the Associated Press reports, and Fox was finally able to set a trial date yesterday. Prosecutors declined to discuss the terms of the possible deal, or why it was withdrawn.
The 30-year-old ''Mr. Deeds'' star faces charges of second-degree burglary, grand theft, vandalism, and possession of a controlled substance, stemming from her arrest last December for allegedly snipping off some price tags and boosting several thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from the Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills. If convicted she could face three years in prison.
Ryder wasn't present in court Wednesday, but one of her lawyers, Shepard Kopp, told reporters, ''Winona is looking forward to the chance to prove herself innocent of the charges.'' Still, the attorney wouldn't rule out a possible plea deal in the future. ''You never say never,'' Kopp said.
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