Winona Ryder Arrested for Alleged Shoplifting Incident in Beverly Hills

Actress Winona Ryder was arrested on Wednesday night after allegedly shoplifting merchandise worth nearly $5,000 from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.

Store clerks reportedly spotted her on video monitors using scissors to remove security tags from clothes, a handbag, and hair accessories, and placing them in a bag with other Saks goods she had previously purchased.

Police also found an unmarked bottle of pills in her possession.

Ryder was subsequently booked on charges of grand theft and possession of prescription drugs without a prescription.

She was later released on $20,000 bond.

However, Ryder's lawyer maintains her innocence, stating that the theft charge is a “misunderstanding.”

He asserts that there was no intention to deprive anyone of property and claims that she had a valid prescription for the pills, which he describes as painkillers (although one report suggests they were the anti-depressant Zoloft).

The lawyer further states that Ryder was not under the influence of drugs at the time of her arrest.

In August, the actress experienced severe stomach pains and had to withdraw from a film due to a gastroenterological disorder.

She was replaced by Kate Winslet.

Speaking of Winslet, she and her director husband Jim Threapleton obtained a quick divorce in a British court yesterday.

Both parties were absent from the hearing.

Winslet met Threapleton while filming “Hideous Kinky,” her follow-up to “Titanic.”

They were married for three years before Winslet filed for divorce, citing Threapleton's alleged unreasonable behavior.

Custody arrangements for their one-year-old daughter, Mia, are yet to be finalized.

Winslet is currently in a relationship with “American Beauty” director Sam Mendes, who claims they began dating after her separation from Threapleton in September.

In other news, there is a disagreement between People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Britney Spears.

PETA claimed that Spears would participate in a n^de anti-fur campaign, but her publicist denied the report, stating that they cannot work with an organization that distorts the truth.

However, the publicist confirmed that Spears is still passionate about animal rights and will seek involvement with another organization.

PETA spokesperson Dan Mathews, the source of the original report, denies claiming that Spears would pose nude.

Nonetheless, the campaign's slogan is “I'd Rather Go n^ked Than Wear Fur,” and previous celebrities featured in the campaign have posed in the nude, including Dominique Swain, the current poster girl from “Lolita.”

Mathews acknowledges that Spears has changed her stance since PETA criticized her use of a caged tiger during her MTV Video Music Awards performance and on tour.

Spears listened to the complaint and agreed to cease using animals in her performances.

Mathews views the situation positively, saying that if the outcome of the fur controversy is that the world knows Spears is anti-fur, it is a step in the right direction.