LA VERNE, Calif., Jan. 14 -- Police in La Verne, Calif., a small town about 30 miles from Los Angeles, speculate that actor Christian Slater has chosen to serve a 90-day jail sentence there because of its serenity. Slater turned himself in at about noon today, entering the jail through a back door to avoid a crush of fans and photographers.
The actor will serve in the jail's trustee program, which requires him to pay a $140 booking fee and work for his room and board by performing custodial tasks around the four-cell facility. La Verne Police Captain Ken Swank says Slater and a cellmate will do six to eight hours of work every day, including cleaning, gardening, cooking and washing police cars. Slater can wear his own clothes but must also don a black-and-yellow jail vest during supervised work periods outside the facility. In his free time, the actor has access to a TV and VCR or the exercise room, and is allowed visitors for three hours on Sundays. He can also get credit for good behavior and be out in as little as 60 days. He pleaded no contest in December to charges of being under the influence of drugs, hitting his girlfriend and biting a man in the stomach after he tried to interfere at an all-night party last summer. Slater was allowed to delay surrendering to authorities so he could attend Tuesday night's Hollywood premiere of his latest film, 'Hard Rain.' At the premiere, Slater told reporters: 'We all do go through bad times and it's a matter of...how you take responsibility and open your eyes to all the good stuff that you've been shutting out.' ---
Copyright 1998 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
