LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file a case against Rick Schroder in connection with the actor's May 1 arrest on suspicion of domestic violence.
In a charge evaluation worksheet released today, prosecutors wrote that it would be “difficult to prove” a case against Schroder because his girlfriend was under the influence of alcohol at the time, and that her initial perception of whether he “hit her purposely or accidentally would be scrutinized based on her impairment from alcohol.”
The woman -- who had called 911 and told a dispatcher that her boyfriend punched her in the face -- refused to discuss the incident when sheriff's deputies arrived at Schroder's home in Topanga, and told the investigating officer the following day that he accidentally struck her after she startled him while he was asleep and under the influence of alcohol and Ambien, according to the document.
Schroder, 49, was released on $50,000 bond about six hours after being arrested by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies.
It was Schroder's second arrest within a month on suspicion of domestic violence.
He was taken into custody April 2 following a similar incident involving the same woman at the same residence, according to a statement released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
Prosecutors decided April 22 not to file a case against Schroder involving that arrest, citing a lack of photographs of the woman's alleged injuries and her lack of cooperation with sheriff's deputies. Schroder denied assaulting the woman, according to a charge evaluation worksheet involving his April 2 arrest.
Schroder is known for playing Ricky Stratton on the 1980s sitcom “Silver Spoons,” and later for a starring role on “NYPD Blue.”
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