AKA
04-02-2003, 05:57 PM
I'm glad. He's had a major drug problem for quite sometime, and it's good he's going to get help, albeit forced. I don't want this guy to die young.
Silent Bob Sidekick Rehab-Bound
By Josh Grossberg
E! Online
Jason Mewes pulled a Silent Bob in court yesterday.
The actor, best known as Kevin Smith's stoner sidekick Jay in Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, remained tight-lipped Tuesday as a New Jersey judge gave him a stark choice: Get sober in drug rehab or face time in the slammer.
Mewes' made a big no-no in 2001 by failing to show up for court appearances stemming from a 1999 heroin conviction. Freehold, New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Michael D. Farren subsequently issued an arrest warrant.
The 28-year-old actor finally gave himself up to authorities in the town of Freehold on Tuesday and made his court appearance--with a twist. He had a documentary film crew along with him, chronicling his cold-turkey attempt to give up heroin for an HBO special, according to the Asbury Park Press. The name of the doc: Rock Bottom.
Standing before Judge Farren--with cameras rolling--the usually hyper actor played against type, not speaking except to cop to a number of probation violations. Those included failing to meet with his probation officer, not undergoing court-mandated drug tests and counseling, lying to the court and crossing state lines without permission.
Farren then gave the New Jersey native 10 days to check into the Discovery House, a drug rehabilitation facility based in nearby Marlboro. The judge forbade Mewes from leaving the state until he completes the four- to six-month program. Upon completion of rehab, Mewes will be allowed to have his probation transferred to Los Angeles, where he currently lives. He also had his probation extended to February 2005.
If he slips up, Mewes faces a fate worse than Mallrats reruns--up to five years in jail.
Mewes continued the silent treatment outside the courthouse, refusing to answer reporters' questions.
But his manager and Rock Bottom producer Craig Veytia told the Asbury Park Press that Mewes "wants to help other people so they don't fall into the same trap as he did."
Veytia says the doc will show footage of Mewes using heroin and then experiencing withdrawal, along with clips from his court dates and possibly his rehab sessions.
According to the 1999 police report, Jersey's finest pulled Mewes' '93 Plymouth over after observing his car air bag deployed and Mewes attempting to hide a "metal package" in his girlfriend's purse. The cops found a hypodermic needle in the container and a stash of heroin in Mewes' sock.
Mewes' attorney, Peter O'Mara, cut a deal with prosecutors, with the actor pleading guilty to a reduced charge of possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to two years' probation, drug counseling, drug testing, 200 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine and suspension of his driver's license. Mewes was also allowed to serve out his sentence in L.A. so he could continue acting, provided he show up for his New Jersey court dates.
Aside from his roles opposite Smith and the HBO documentary, Mewes' other major credit is a cameo in the 2001 music video for Afroman's "Because I Got High."
Silent Bob Sidekick Rehab-Bound
By Josh Grossberg
E! Online
Jason Mewes pulled a Silent Bob in court yesterday.
The actor, best known as Kevin Smith's stoner sidekick Jay in Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, remained tight-lipped Tuesday as a New Jersey judge gave him a stark choice: Get sober in drug rehab or face time in the slammer.
Mewes' made a big no-no in 2001 by failing to show up for court appearances stemming from a 1999 heroin conviction. Freehold, New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Michael D. Farren subsequently issued an arrest warrant.
The 28-year-old actor finally gave himself up to authorities in the town of Freehold on Tuesday and made his court appearance--with a twist. He had a documentary film crew along with him, chronicling his cold-turkey attempt to give up heroin for an HBO special, according to the Asbury Park Press. The name of the doc: Rock Bottom.
Standing before Judge Farren--with cameras rolling--the usually hyper actor played against type, not speaking except to cop to a number of probation violations. Those included failing to meet with his probation officer, not undergoing court-mandated drug tests and counseling, lying to the court and crossing state lines without permission.
Farren then gave the New Jersey native 10 days to check into the Discovery House, a drug rehabilitation facility based in nearby Marlboro. The judge forbade Mewes from leaving the state until he completes the four- to six-month program. Upon completion of rehab, Mewes will be allowed to have his probation transferred to Los Angeles, where he currently lives. He also had his probation extended to February 2005.
If he slips up, Mewes faces a fate worse than Mallrats reruns--up to five years in jail.
Mewes continued the silent treatment outside the courthouse, refusing to answer reporters' questions.
But his manager and Rock Bottom producer Craig Veytia told the Asbury Park Press that Mewes "wants to help other people so they don't fall into the same trap as he did."
Veytia says the doc will show footage of Mewes using heroin and then experiencing withdrawal, along with clips from his court dates and possibly his rehab sessions.
According to the 1999 police report, Jersey's finest pulled Mewes' '93 Plymouth over after observing his car air bag deployed and Mewes attempting to hide a "metal package" in his girlfriend's purse. The cops found a hypodermic needle in the container and a stash of heroin in Mewes' sock.
Mewes' attorney, Peter O'Mara, cut a deal with prosecutors, with the actor pleading guilty to a reduced charge of possession of a controlled substance. He was sentenced to two years' probation, drug counseling, drug testing, 200 hours of community service, a $1,000 fine and suspension of his driver's license. Mewes was also allowed to serve out his sentence in L.A. so he could continue acting, provided he show up for his New Jersey court dates.
Aside from his roles opposite Smith and the HBO documentary, Mewes' other major credit is a cameo in the 2001 music video for Afroman's "Because I Got High."