Santa Fe, New Mexico – Alec Baldwin was reportedly offered a lenient plea deal in connection to the “Rust” shooting incident, according to court documents released on Friday. The deal, which was said to be identical to the one accepted by Dave Halls, the first assistant director at the time of the shooting, included six months of unsupervised probation, a $500 fine, 24 hours of community service, and a mandatory firearm safety class.
Variety reports that Baldwin was given until October 27 to decide on the plea deal, but prosecutors withdrew the offer on October 17 and informed Baldwin’s team that they were moving forward with a grand jury. It remains unclear why the deal was taken off the table in such a short timeframe.
In response, Baldwin and his attorney, Alex Spiro, filed a motion to dismiss the manslaughter charge against him. They claim that the Santa Fe County D.A.’s office rigged the grand jury against Baldwin, citing biased witnesses and the alleged omission of crucial evidence that could have weakened the case.
The filing further alleges that the D.A. failed to present the entire scope of the FBI’s testing on Baldwin’s firearm, suggesting that the results could demonstrate the gun could have fired without him pulling the trigger.
Baldwin’s case is scheduled to go to trial in July, with the actor facing a potential 18 months in prison if found guilty. He has indicated his intention to fight the charges and is actively seeking to have them dismissed before the trial begins. The outcome of this legal battle will determine the future of Baldwin’s involvement in the “Rust” shooting incident.