Arrests

Three of the four people arrested in what cops believe may be a link to Philip Seymour Hoffman's death were in court, and have been arraigned on drug charges.

Robert Vineberg -- the man a police informant claims sold drugs to him and Hoffman -- pled not guilty to felony possession of heroin with an intent to sell.

Vineberg's attorney, Ed Kratt, tells TMZ, "these charges have NOTHING to do with the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman."

Juliana Luchkiw and Max Rosenblum are NOT charged with heroin possession. Instead, prosecutors have charged them with 1 count each for possession of cocaine ... a misdemeanor.

We spoke with the lawyer for Juliana who pled not guilty. The lawyer says his client has never met Hoffman.

A fourth man --Thomas Cushman -- was arrested but not charged with a crime due to lack of evidence.

TMZ broke the story .... an informant who triggered the bust has told cops ... Vineberg was Hoffman's main dealer, and the actor came by his apartment twice a week to score dozens of bags of heroin.

Soap star Crystal Hunt has been hit with FELONY assault with a deadly weapon ... for allegedly smashing a glass into another woman's face during a bar brawl ... TMZ has learned.

The L.A. County D.A. filed the charge ... claiming the bar glass is a deadly weapon.

TMZ broke the story ... Hunt was arrested Dec. 13 after a violent confrontation with a woman at Pearl's Liquor Bar in West Hollywood. Cops say she threw a pint glass at the woman's face. The alleged victim was injured and required medical attention.

Hunt -- who played Stacy Morasco on "One Life to Live" -- claimed the woman had been harassing her ... and she acted in self-defense.

If convicted, Hunt faces up to 4 years in prison.

Philip Seymour Hoffman desperately told his drug dealer he was trying to kick his ever-growing heroin problem ... TMZ has learned.

An informant who has been working with NYC cops since Hoffman's death says he was privy to conversations between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robert Vineberg -- one of the 4 people arrested last night in a heroin bust.

The informant -- who was central to cops obtaining a search warrant that led to the arrests -- claims Vineberg regularly sold heroin to Hoffman. He says in some of the text messages Hoffman told Vineberg he was struggling to kick his heroin habit and wanted nothing more than to clean up his life.

The informant was very specific, saying Hoffman bemoaned that the worst part of getting clean was uncontrollable bowel movements.

And according to the informant, he would often see Hoffman in Vineberg's apartment and he seemed like "a man on a mission." There was no small talk ... just business. And he says Hoffman always looked unhappy.

Rapper French Montana was as nonchalant as could be walking the streets of NYC Tuesday ... laughing off his arrest during Super Bowl weekend.

No one knew he had been busted ... but turns out French was popped early Saturday morning in Times Square because of a 5-year-old warrant for driving on a suspended license.

French was taken to the pokey and bailed out soon thereafter.

David Cassidy has just been charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol ... the L.A. City Attorney's office tells TMZ.

We broke the story ... Cassidy was arrested in L.A. Jan. 10th after cops say he made an illegal right turn. We're told he had alcohol on his breath ... and failed a field sobriety test.

Law enforcement sources tell us he blew a .19 in the field -- more than twice the legal limit -- and refused to submit to more testing back at the police station.

Cassidy has a prior conviction for DUI in FL ... and a DUI arrest in NY. According to the city attorney, that means he'll serve a mandatory 96 hours in jail if convicted this time ... and could face up to a year behind bars.

George Foreman's 23-year-old son -- George Edward Foreman the 5th -- was arrested in Texas this weekend after cops say he assaulted his wife.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ Sports, officials say George the 5th choked Ashley McVea-Figueroa during an altercation on February 2.

The documents say George attacked Ashley by "impeding the normal breathing and circulation of the blood ... by applying pressure to [her] throat and [her] neck."

We're told Ashley was the person who called 911 ... and during the call, George threatened to leave the house with their child.

George was eventually arrested and booked for felony assault. Court docs show Foreman was released on $10,000 bond.

G5 is one of Foreman's 12 children -- his five sons are all legally named "George" ... but they all go by various nicknames.

"Starship Troopers" star Casper Van Dien better start locking his doors ... because he triggered a police emergency when some DRUNK dude accidentally stumbled into his house and passed out on his couch, TMZ has learned.

Van Dien called 911 early Saturday morning to report a possible burglary in progress when his daughter noticed some stranger passed out in the living room of their Miami home.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops went into "emergency mode" -- and raced to the house. Cops say when they arrived, the intruder was "very intoxicated and unsure where he was."

The guy was immediately arrested and transported to a nearby station. Casper and his family took pics with the cops (see above).

But TMZ has learned ... the whole thing seems to be a simple drunken misunderstanding -- because friends of the "intruder" tell us ... the guy was in town for a bachelor party and he was staying in a nearby mansion with 12 buddies.

The buddies had gone to a strip club on Friday night and ditched the guy -- who was hammered -- and he eventually tried to get a cab back to the residence on his own.

But being as wasted as he was, he accidentally went to a house just down the street ... and walked in the front door (which happened to be unlocked) and passed out on the couch, thinking he had made it home.

He was wrong ... and spent 18 hours in jail.

Justin Bieber's days of breezing in and out of the U.S. are over ... because we're told he will continue to be a target of U.S. Customs every time he comes back to the states.

TMZ broke the story ... when Justin flew into a New Jersey airport from Canada last Friday ... U.S. Customs searched his plane and then grilled him for hours, before letting him leave. Law enforcement sources tell us ... Custom's flagged Bieber because he's on a Homeland Security watch list for his 2 ongoing criminal cases.

We're told Bieber is subject to the exact same treatment every time he leaves and then re-enters the U.S. -- a thorough search and then exhaustive questioning.

It's very hard to get off the watch list once you're on it. You can appeal to Homeland Security but the agency has broad discretion. What's more ... if Bieber is found guilty or pleads no contest to any criminal charge, it will be extremely difficult for him to go under the radar again.

Chris Brown and CeeLo had a gig at the same place at the same time Monday ... the criminal court building in downtown L.A.

Chris was there for a hearing in the Rihanna beating case ... the judge had some questions about the D.C. assault case as well as his anger management rehab.

As for CeeLo ... he's there for a routine hearing in his felony drug case.

Chris got top billing. His hearing was on the 13th floor and CeeLo's was on the 5th.

Chris Brown would have gone to jail today if L.A. prosecutors had their way ... because they asked a judge to send him directly to the pokey.

Chris appeared for a hearing on the D.C. assault case, where he stands accused of beating up a guy last October. The hearing was held by the judge in the Rihanna beating case, who will decide if Chris violated his probation by allegedly committing the assault.

Prosecutors asked the judge to throw Chris in jail immediately and set a probation violation hearing. Prosecutors claim "Brown's violent behavior continues to increase in severity and frequency" and he poses "an increasing danger to society."

The D.A. claims they have now reviewed the D.C. case -- interviewing witnesses and examining evidence -- and they say there is probably cause to believe Chris is guilty as charged.

The judge, however, ruled Chris was better off completing his 90-day rehab for anger management than being thrown in jail, so he shut down prosecutors.

Oklahoma State University basketball star Stevie Clark is in trouble again ... this time the 19-year-old freshman was arrested for allegedly peeing out of the window of a moving vehicle, TMZ Sports has learned.

Law enforcement tells us ... Clark was arrested at 12:46 AM on Sunday in Stillwater, OK after cops observed a man busting a #1 outside of a car window.

The Stillwater PD tells TMZ Sports ... Clark appeared to be "extremely intoxicated" at the time of the arrest.

Clark was arrested for "outraging public decency" and was hauled to a nearby jail. He was released a short time later after posting bond.

FYI -- if convicted, Clark will NOT be forced to register as a sex offender.

The DUI case against Justin Bieber has some big holes -- but law enforcement sources tell us prosecutors will NOT back down and are confident the case is so strong ... Justin will cop a plea.

TMZ broke the story ... although Miami Beach police claimed Justin reeked of booze ... his blood alcohol level was almost imperceptible -- .014.

Sources connected to the case tell us ... prosecutors say the officer who made the observation is a star witness who is one of the most authoritative people in the area on DUI -- and an unimpeachable witness.

There's another hole in the case. Cops claimed Justin was drag racing, yet we've obtained the GPS read on his car and it actually shows in the middle of the so-called drag race he was going 27 MPH -- UNDER the 30 MPH speed limit.

Our sources say they're not buying the GPS read out and they have their own GPS which they believe will show a higher rate of speed.

We're told Bieber has just been released by Custom's officials ... after 5-hours of heavy grilling.

Justin Bieber was flagged by U.S. Customs officials when he landed in New Jersey this afternoon because he has 2 pending criminal cases ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

Bieber is still being grilled by Customs people ... after they searched his plane because they allegedly smelled weed. The search turned up nothing.

We're told -- as a result of the Patriot Act -- Customs officials have broad power to flag people coming in from another country when they have an active criminal case or a conviction. Justin currently has an assault case in Canada and a DUI case in Miami Beach.

Sources say Bieber is being "put through the grinder" right now by Customs folks. As one source said, "Once you're flagged it's a grueling process to get in the country."

It's almost certain Justin will eventually be cleared to leave Teterboro Airport because both alleged offenses are minor.

5:45 PM PT We're told Bieber has just been released.

5:03 PM PT -- We were just told Bieber is still being questioned -- and everyone has ordered out for pizza. Cops tell us ... it's gonna be a while.

2:55 PM PT -- TMZ has learned Justin is now being held and questioned by U.S. Customs officials.

12:59 PM PT -- We're told all passengers were released. No drugs were found.

Justin Bieber's private jet touched down outside NYC for the Super Bowl -- and authorities immediately held him for questioning ... because of a strong odor of pot coming from his plane ... TMZ has learned.

We're told ... the plane was stopped after it arrived at Teterboro airport in New Jersey. As we told you ... Justin, his dad and some friends were traveling there for Super Bowl parties.

Sources tell us law enforcement is holding the plane ... because they think there may be marijuana on board. We're told the plane and the passengers are currently being searched ... but so far no pot has been found.

A source close to Bieber tells us, the passengers knew they'd be searched ... since they were flying into the U.S. from Canada.

The Miami Beach PD is investigating its own ... after a female cop tried to take a pic of Justin Bieber behind bars ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... while Justin was in jail last week in Miami Beach -- being processed for DUI and resisting arrest -- a patrol officer showed up and made her way to the area where Bieber was being held.

We're told the officer had no business being in the area ... and had no connection to the arrest.

Our sources say ... a Sgt. noticed her pulling out her cell phone, attempting to take a pic of Bieber. We're told the Sgt. jumped in front of the officer and blocked the shot.

The Sgt. ordered the officer out of the area and she left.

The Sgt. wrote the officer up for "conduct unbecoming an officer" -- which triggered an internal affairs investigation.