Quaid free on bail after arrest on Calif. warrant

[September 25, 2009]  DALLAS (AP) -- Actor Randy Quaid was given a ride from a small West Texas jail to get bail money from a bank after he and his wife were arrested for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill, according to the sheriff who drove him.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, each posted $20,000 Thursday night after spending several hours in the jail in Marfa, Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez told The Associated Press.

Dominguez said he drove the actor to a bank to obtain the bail money. Quaid remained in his custody during the trip but was not handcuffed. The sheriff said the actor received no special treatment.

"I like to help everybody out," Dominguez said. "It's a small town."

A felony warrant for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy was issued out of Santa Barbara, Calif., for the couple after authorities received a complaint in early September that they had not paid a bill of more than $10,000 due to a local hotel, according to a release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department.

The warrant was issued after sheriff's detectives filed a case with the district attorney. Santa Barbara County sheriff's spokesman Drew Sugars said Thursday that detectives had not yet spoken with the actor and the department said it would not immediately release further details.

A message left for Randy Quaid's commercial agent, Steven Arcieri, was not immediately returned.

The Quaids were arrested Thursday afternoon after a deputy spotted the couple driving in Marfa, where they had been staying at a hotel, Dominguez said.

Evi Quad "resisted a little bit, it wasn't too much," the sheriff said. "She calmed down quickly."

Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years"; but he's perhaps best known for his roles in the "National Lampoon's Vacation" movies, "Independence Day" and "Kingpin."

He also played a hard-nosed sheep rancher in "Brokeback Mountain," then sued Focus Features and the film's producers in 2006, claiming he was compelled to work cheaply when told the film -- which earned $82 million at the domestic box office -- had no prospects of making money.

A native Texan, he is the older brother of fellow actor Dennis Quaid.

Marfa, a remote West Texas town, is no stranger to Hollywood attention.

More than 50 years ago, filmmaker George Stevens settled on the

area for his epic Texas oil tale "Giant," which starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. (Stevens won a best director Oscar for "Giant" in 1957, the only win of that film's 10 nominations).

More recently, "There Will be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" were filmed in the desolate town of 2,100, founded as a railroad stop in 1883.

[Associated Press; By MATT CURRY]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.