BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – Winona Ryder was commended by a judge Monday for abiding by the rules of her probation in a shoplifting case.
Ryder’s lawyer, Shepard Kopp, said outside court the judge plans to review the case later and consider reducing her felony convictions to misdemeanors.
“I want to compliment you on your behavior on probation,” Superior Court Judge Elden Fox told the 32-year-old actress, who didn’t speak during the hearing.
Ryder was convicted last year of stealing several thousand dollars worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills in 2001.
She was placed on three years’ probation a year ago and fined $2,700. She also was ordered to pay $6,355 in restitution to the store and $1,000 in restitution to the court. She has made those payments.
The judge said her probation report, which was sealed from public view, had been very positive. “And there’s an indication that things are going well,” he said.
Fox ordered Ryder to return to court May 26 for a six-month review, and said he would decide then if she needs continued probation supervision.
Ryder, whose films include “The Age of Innocence,” “Little Women” and the upcoming “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things,” also has been undergoing therapy. She completed 480 hours of community service at the City of Hope Medical Center in Duarte.
AP-ES-12-15-03 1602EST
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