A few weeks after a warrant for search has been issued to search Alec Baldwin’s cell phone The actor has handed over the phone to police. Rust star has turned over the phone to police officers for their investigation into the shooting death that killed Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins last October in New Mexico.
The iPhone was sought to be seized by Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office to aid in the investigation of what really happened in the Bonanza Creek Ranch set of the independent Western the iPhone was handed over by Suffolk Country police in New York state. It is near one of the multi-Emmy winning homes.
After a lot of back and forth in the break between Christmas and Santa Fe D.A.’s office over the personal information stored on Baldwin’s phone, Baldwin’s iphone was handed over to him today. The phone now has the access code for unlocking the handset it is expected that the Empire State police and other police will inspect this device to find what they believe to be “relevant information” before it is delivered for transfer to Land of Enchantment.
“Alec voluntarily provided his phone to the authorities this morning so they can finish their investigation,” the lawyer for the actor, Aaron Dyer, told Deadline. “But this matter isn’t about his phone, and there are no answers on his phone,” the civil attorney of Pillsbury Winthrop and Pittman LLP stated. “Alec didn’t do anything wrong. It’s evident that he was informed this was not a hot weapon and was following the directions in the event of this tragedy. The most important question to be resolved is how live rounds ended up onto the set in the first place.”
Officials from Suffolk County’s Suffolk County cop shop declined to discuss what they were able to access the phone, saying that the investigation fell under the jurisdiction under the authority of Santa Fe law enforcement. “The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office does not yet have physical possession of the data to be retrieved off the Baldwin phone,” Public Information Officer Juan Rios said Friday, noting that evidence was being “gathered” by Suffolk County officers. “This is in process.”
Despite the month-long delay following the warrant for search was granted by the New Mexico judge, camera chattering Baldwin in an 8 January Instagram post declared his right to remain in his privacy. “Any suggestion that I am not complying with requests or orders or demands or search warrants about my phone, that’s bullsh*t, that’s a lie,” the actor claimed.
Also Read: Jonah Hill Says His ‘Don’t Look Up’ Character’s Birkin Handbag Was His Idea
Asserting on ABC in the early days of the month of December that he never fired the trigger of what believed was a weapon that was safe Baldwin’s gun fired, killing DP Hutchins, and injured Rust director Joel Souza on October 21 as the actor was practicing an “quick draw” move during the rehearsal at the church of the film set. Baldwin received an interview from an investigator from the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office in the following the shooting. Baldwin was released without restrictions or conditions.
Even as the lawsuits filed by the citizens begin to mount and the hunt for how live rounds ended up at the location of the controversial $7 million film continues however, there are no arrests or accusations in the investigation. Search warrants previously executed by Santa Fe police at the Rust film set have revealed numerous weapons as well as, according to Sheriff Adan Mendoza, “500 rounds of ammunition … a mix of blanks, dummy rounds and what we are suspecting are live rounds.”