Tatum O’Neal Arrested for Buying Crack and Cocaine

Tatum O’Neal (44) was arrested about 7:30 PM Sunday after she was observed buying crack and cocaine on Clinton Street near her apartment. After her arrest O’Neal was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor.

Police also arrested the alleged drug dealer, Allen Garcia (32), who was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, a class B felony.

The New York Post reports that O’Neal, who appears regularly on the cable series Rescue Me, is said to have told officers, "You know who I am, right?" She also claimed she was "researching a part, I’m doing this for a part as a junkie." Hahaha! Oldest excuse in the book. When that didn’t work she told detectives, "Can’t we just forget about this?"

O’Neal is the daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal, and the ex-wife of John McEnroe with whom she has children. O’Neal said in 2002 interview, that she was abandoned by a drug-abusing mother (actress Joanna Moore) at age 7, and began using drugs by 14, moving eventually from marijuana, Quaaludes, and cocaine, then to heroin.

O’Neal chronicled her struggles with addiction in her 2004 memoir, A Paper Life. The actress completed rehab in 1996 and claimed to be clean.

It’s time to go back to rehab. She’s a mess again.