Rip Torn Arrested: If Convicted, Will the Criminal Justice System "Enable" His Behavior yet Again?

Rip Torn was arrested late Friday night, according to TMZ.com, for allegedly breaking into a Litchfield, Connecticut bank. Rip Torn was arrested and charged with a variety of crimes, including first-degree burglary, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and carrying a pistol without a permit . Rip Torn being arrested as a 78 year old man and booked for serious charges may seem really out of the ordinary for a man his age. Like many people in society, it's the power of the almighty booze that has made a real mess out of a life of extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, Rip Torn's previous run ins with the law over alcohol abuse haven't taught him anything.

Rip Torn Arrested: Alcohol Brings Down Yet Another Human Being

Time will certainly tell what led up to this unfortunate event, but here's a man who's been in numerous movies, including the Men In Black, Men in Black II, Coma, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Cincinnati Kid, etc., a man who has been nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in Cross Creek and has won the Emmy Award for starring in The Larry Sanders Show, and has starred in the theatre, too. This man has shown multi-faceted talents by being able to crossover entertainment genres successfully. But according to his biography at Wikipedia, it's the power of the bottle that has, like with so many people throughout human history, brought this man down, even though he's almost lived to be 80 years old. In April 2007, Rip Torn pleaded guilty to drunk driving (which he hit a tractor-trailer) in New York in December 2006, and was punished with a fine and a temporary suspension of his drivers license, In May 2009, the actor was given probation for drunk driving in Connecticut in December 2008.

Rip Torn Arrested: Will The Criminal Justice System Give The Actor Another Slap on the Wrist if He's Convicted?

Now with Rip Torn being arrested for his latest alleged crimes, one has to wonder if he will have to serve any hard time in the slammer if he's actually convicted of these serious crimes, especially for the ones for allegedly carrying a gun without a permit plus while allegedly intoxicated as well as alleged first-degree burglary. His alcohol-related issues with the law seem to get more serious, especially when a gun is part of the mix.

Just because he's a famous actor and on the verge of being an octogenarian doesn't mean that he's not a potential threat to society, especially when he's under the influence of alcohol. He could've killed people when he drove drunk and someone could've been injured from him carrying around a gun while drunk, allegedly. Will the criminal justice system come down hard on Rip Torn as a result of him being arrested this time for a variety of crimes if he's ultimately convicted, or will his name and celebrity enable him to be less likely convicted? Will Rip Torn suffer less likely consequences than some skid row transient who had allegedly committed and would ultimately be convicted of the same offenses?

Sources:

TMZ Staff: Rip Torn Busted for Allegedly Breaking Into Bank: http://www.tmz.com/2010/01/30/rip-torn-arrested-bank-gun-drunk/, January 30, 2009,TMZ.com

Rip Torn: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rip_Torn, Wikipedia