Charlie Sheen's Troubles Are Nothing New

In light of actor's new round of problems, we take a trip down rap-sheet lane

By Gina Serpe Jan 30, 2011 5:00 PMTags
Charlie SheenAspen Police Department

[Editor's Note: This story originally ran on Dec. 28, 2009, after Sheen's Christmas Day arrest for domestic violence. We republished it again after his overnight hospitalization back in October, and in light of his latest headline-grabbing escapade, we thought it time to take yet another trip down rap-sheet lane. Nothing says evergreen like a story about Charlie in trouble.]

Goodwill toward men? Charlie Sheen's got it. Goodwill toward women? As his unscheduled solo holiday plans have suggested, that's up for a little more debate.

And while we're all for innocent until proven guilty—or, as Sheen's rep would and has implored, "do not be mislead by appearance"—it certainly appears as though the highest-paid sitcom star around is less than adept at managing his personal life, particularly when it comes to his real-life leading ladies.

But don't take our word for it, take his well-worn rap sheet's:

1990: Sheen accidentally shoots then-fiancée Kelly Preston in the arm. As flesh wounds have a funny way of killing the mood, the engagement is called off shortly thereafter. It's during this same year that he enters rehab for the first time to treat an alcohol addiction.

1995: Two words: Heidi Fleiss. Sheen admits to being a client of the so-called Hollywood Madam, copping to having spent $50,000 for the, um, services of her call girls.

1995: Two months after marrying model Donna Peele, Sheen was sued by a UCLA student who claimed he struck her in the head back in 1994 after she refused him sex. The case was settled out of court.

1997: Sheen pleads no contest to battery charges brought by former girlfriend, model-actress Brittany Ashland, who claims Sheen threw her onto his kitchen floor and split her lip. He earned a year's suspended sentence, two years' probation and a $2,800 fine.

1998: Sheen enters lockdown rehab after being hospitalized for a drug overdose. The get-clean action was necessary after his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in for violating his parole.

2005: Denise Richards files for divorce while pregnant, publicly accusing Sheen of "inappropriate behavior," including dalliances with prostitutes, gambling problems and drug and alcohol problems, that could negatively impact his daughters' upbringing. Sheen denies everything, calling the claims "laughable and inane."

2009: Sheen is arrested on felony menacing charges and spends Christmas in a Colorado jail after wife Brooke Mueller tells cops the actor threatened her with a knife. He was released on bail.

• Feb. 23, 2010: Sheen voluntarily checks himself into rehab, a move his rep referred to as simply a "preventative measure."

• February and June, 2010: On two separate occasions vehicles were stolen from Sheen's home and driven off nearby cliffs. It's unclear if Sheen specifically was targeted, but no suspects were ever found.

•Aug. 2, 2010: Sheen pleads guilty to misdemeanor third-degree assault for his Christmas attack on Mueller. He was ordered to spend 30 days in rehab, undergo domestic abuse counseling and was placed on probation.

• Oct. 26, 2010: Sheen is taken to the hospital after cops are called for a disturbance in his room at New York's Plaza Hotel. He was with porn star Capri Anderson at the time, who later went public with her story, claiming Sheen got physical with her and that she was forced to hide in a closet. Sheen was hospitalized after the incident, though his rep chalked it up to "an allergic reaction to some medication." Anderson went on to threaten Sheen with a lawsuit alleging battery and false imprisonment, but no charges were ever filed, and rumors circulated that the duo ended up settling out of court.

• Nov. 1, 2010: Sheen formally files for divorce from Mueller.

• Jan. 12, 2011: Sheen misses a day of work on Two and a Half Men after spending the weekend in Las Vegas (where a porn convention was being held), though his rep attributed Sheen's on-set absence to an "ear infection."

• Jan. 14, 2011: While speaking at the Television Critics Association panel, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said the network had "a high level of concern" over Sheen's recent misbehavior.

• Jan. 27, 2011: After an early morning 911 call is placed, Sheen is transported from his home via ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Father Martin Sheen and ex-wife Denise Richards rushed to his side, though Sheen was released later the same day. Rumors abounded as the cause of his hospitalization—his hernia, a bender, or some combination of the two being the most repeated culprits—though no official word was given, other than that Sheen was suffering from "severe abdominal pain." He is due back on the set of Two and a Half Men next week.

Jan 28, 2011: Well, so much for that back-to-work plan. Sheen again checks into rehab to deal with what ails him. Which, if we're to go by his behavior, is a lot.

(Originally published on Dec. 28, 2009 at 10:02 a.m. PT)

—Additional reporting by Ashley Fultz