Daniel Baldwin says wife needs treatment

[July 16, 2011]  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Actor Daniel Baldwin said Friday that his decision to file for divorce says nothing about how he feels about his wife, but it's an attempt to encourage her to get treatment for alcoholism.

Baldwin told Portland television station KOIN that his 41-year-old wife, Joanne, "ripped the house to shreds" Sunday morning as the children screamed and cried. He filed for divorce and was granted a restraining order this week.

The couple have lived in the affluent Portland suburb of Lake Oswego since last year.

Baldwin -- brother of actors William, Stephen and Alec Baldwin -- said he was torn about how to handle his wife's behavior, but it has to be her own decision to get sober. He said he's focused on keeping their children safe.

"I want nothing more than for her to get help, and I want nothing more than to go into those family programs and hold her hand during it, should she decide to do that," Baldwin said.

Joanne Baldwin is on probation for a drunken driving conviction and prohibited from drinking alcohol, her husband said. She has been accused of violating the terms of her probation and is jailed in Lake Oswego. A hearing is scheduled next week.

The Lake Oswego Municipal Court says she has no attorney listed.

Baldwin said he's open to dropping his divorce filing if his wife shows improvement.

"I wanted her to know how serious it was, and along with the order of protection I filed for divorce," Baldwin told the television station. "That can be changed, but it would require an immediate about-face and a plan of action."

Baldwin discussed his own struggles with addiction and said it's dangerous for him to be around his wife's alcohol abuse while he tries to maintain his own sobriety.

Baldwin acted in television series in the 1990s, including a leading role on the NBC series "Homicide: Life on the Street" and the movie "Car 54, Where Are You?"

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Information from: KOIN-TV, http://www.koin.com/

[Associated Press]

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