Poundstone was in alcohol treatment when arrested

t1 ...@aol.commonsense (T1501)

<a href="http://printerfriendly.abcnews.com/printerfriendly/Print?fetchFromGL UE=true&GLUEService=ABCNewsCom">Click here for story, or read it below</a> L O S A N G E L E S, July 9 ??” Comedian Paula Poundstone was in an alcohol rehab program when she was arrested on child endangerment charges two weeks ago, her lawyer revealed today.
Poundstone pleaded not guilty to child endangerment charges in a Santa Monica, Calif., courtroom last week.
When Poundstone was arrested, she was staying at a live-in alcohol treatment program, her attorney, Steven Cron, said on ABCNEWS Good Morning America.
"Paula has had an intermittent alcohol problem that's existed for a while," Cron said. "Recently it became more than she felt she could handle. So together with her family, before these charges came to light, they made the decision as a family that she was going to go into a live-in alcohol rehabilitation program." The 41-year-old comedian now faces four felony charges: three counts of lewd acts upon a child under 14, and one count of child endangerment on four other children. If convicted of all charges, she could face up to 13 years and four months in prison.
Cron declined to discuss specifics of the charges against Poundstone, but he said the allegations are related to her drinking problem.
"I would say her involvement with alcohol was the basis for the allegations," Cron said. "Nevertheless, Paula is adamant and I am firmly of the belief that she is not guilty of the charges of lewd conduct." Poundstone's attorney would not say whether the charges involved the five children who were in her care. The entertainer has been distraught over the charges, and is concerned about the welfare of her children, he said.
Poundstone has three adopted children and two foster children, all of whom are currently in the care of county authorities.
The comedian has a history of advocating on behalf of children, and has long supported children's rights and served as a foster parent for numerous children in the past, most of them abused and abandoned, Cron said.
As is typical in cases involving allegations of child molestation, the judge ordered Poundstone to stay away from minors, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. All of the court documents were sealed. Poundstone will return to court July 30, when a date will be set for a preliminary hearing.

cls2cr ...@aol.comOnSmile (Crazy)

I hope the lewd act charges turn out to be false...
 ~Teresa :)

Zen R...@Home.com

Same here. The thing is, if she has had a big problem with the alcohol dependancy, at least Paula has made the initial attempt to get some good help for that. That's to her credit, absolutely. This other stuff just sounds 'drummed up' to me for some reason. What I'm wondering though is why anyone would want to 'get her' to this extreme extent.
For this reason, I also believe that the charges may have some weight to them, and my heart remains broken about it, especially for the kids, if the charges are indeed true. I'm sure we all agree when we hope they're NOT true, Paula fans or not.
It's common knowledge that Paula and Rosie are longtime friends, and have both taken on the responsibilities (all men aside) of trying to empower, properly raise and support children in our so-called 'modern' society. That's a VERY good cause! More rich people should take up that cause. It's the best one out there, imo:-) That's probably why I'm so upset about this though, as a (poor) man.
*I* even trusted Paula Poundstone. If you can't trust people like her or Rosie with your/our kids...then who the hell CAN you trust??
Hope the charges are ALL false, and that this is all some kind of sick CIA plot or something, needless to say.
Bill

pack ...@aol.comyadayada (PACKNO9)

I saw her picture in the people mag this week. She looks rough,,,but I do have a question. Has anybody looked at this picture?? Can you tell me what the heck she did to her hand?? I almost gagged. Looks like it is burnt or something!!
Pack -

nglag ...@aol.com (NGLAgolf)

I saw that her hand looked very bruised also. Like she was in a fight. Who knows what happened to her while she was in jail.

Zen R...@Home.com

Gotta be honest, I only know her from a couple of appearances a long ways back on the old Later With Bob Costas show and Conan and Letterman. Some PBS stuff too.
I've always been very impressed with her sharp mind though, and sensed that she's had a very hard life. Hope Paula herself isn't a victim of child abuse, though it wouldn't surprise me at all at this point if it turns out that she is. Very sad situation all around, imo.
Bill

stol ...@aol.com (Stolynn)

I just hope she didn't go into rehab to appear as if she's receiving help if the charges are true. I just hope.....
Lynn If stress made you lose weight, I wouldn't be here!

aplej ...@aol.comAJ (Aplejack)

I understand that Paula sought inpatient treatment. I understand that she had family members caring for her three children. What I cannot understand is how a woman with an alcohol problem requiring inpatient treatment could be considered foster mother material. As sad as it is to disrupt the lives of these children again, they should have been removed from Paula's household when she admitted her problem, not only after the charges were filed. ( I am suggesting removal for the foster children only. The adopted children are her children and should have been cared for by family members, as would any biological children have been.) I do hope that the charges are proven to be false and that Paula and her family recover completely, but at least temporarily, she should not add foster children to the mix.
AJ

kbram ...@aol.com (KBraman1)

The last few times I saw her on TV (probably on Rosie and Donny and Marie) her hand had a huge flesh colored bandage on the back. It was never mentioned in either interview.
Kathy

Zen R...@Home.com

Perfectly said, and in total agreement, AJ.
Bill

Zen R...@Home.com

This is a recent injury? Well, no doubt it was a domestic accident then, and definitely not related to any of her time in jail.
It does occur to me that Paula Poundstone has usually been notoriously secretive in interviews about her own personal life. That's totally fair after all, and should have no bearing whatsoever on our own perceptions or preconceptions about her personal life.
She is innocent until proven guilty, like any American or Canadian citizen.
Bill

dlittle ...@aol.compton (Dan)

So she has 3 counts of "lewd acts upon a child under 14" against her, and they're saying it's "related to her drinking problem" but they won't say specifically what happened. Whatever DID happen; it doesn't sound like anything good.

se ...@aol.comondown (Sea si)

<< What I cannot understand is how a woman with an alcohol problem requiring inpatient treatment could be considered foster mother material. >> I wondered the same thing.
Lupe ~Laughter can be more satisfying than honor; more precious than money; more heart-cleansing than prayer~

burtn ...@aol.comondown (Burtnest)

I think the whole situation is sad. I am really hoping that she is innocent and gets her children back. I agree that it is strange for her to have foster children if she has a drinking problem. I just hope that things work out for everyone concerned.
 Sharon :) Like magnets we are drawn to people and places that will complete us in some special way. (\ ---- /) { \ (_)/ ) (_ / ?????? \ _) /____\

jenncas ...@cs.com (Jenn ifer)

I don't know AJ...I think a child is a child is a child...If you remove one, then the situation is bad enough to remove them all...Just because you adopt, it doesn't give you more rights over the children. Very sad situation all the way around.
Jenn

eviec ...@aol.comnojunk (EvieC123)

<<I don't know AJ...I think a child is a child is a child...If you remove one, then the situation is bad enough to remove them all...Just because you adopt, it doesn't give you more rights over the children. Very sad situation all the way around.>> I have to agree with you Jenn. I read in today's paper that her own lawyer issued a statement saying Paula has a drinking problem that "clearly had a bearing" on her arrest. We don't know what all the facts are yet, but clearly on this basis alone, none of the children should be under her care and control for some time to come (if ever, depending on her recovery and the whole story), IMO.

aplej ...@aol.comAJ (Aplejack)

I am afraid I didn't make myself clear enough here. What I was trying to say in my clumsy way was that I believe that once children are adopted, they are your children in every way equal to biological children. If Paula had biological children, they would have been sent to stay with family members or friends while she received treatment. As such, her adopted children should have been also. Foster children are different. They are still a part of the "system". As such, it is not acceptable for a foster parent to send the children to stay with someone else. The system will relocate them as necessary.
I was trying to be sensitive to the people here who have adopted children. I didn't want anyone to think that I thought their children were 'removable", or any less a permanent part of the family. In my attempt, I muddied the waters.
AJ

To Top

Poundstone was in alcohol treatment when arrested

Back to Alcohol Treatment

Back to Home Page