Alec Baldwin will hand over cellphone to authorities 'this week' in 'Rust' investigation, lawyer says
Santa Fe County officials want to search Baldwin's phone for any evidence related to 'Rust' shooting
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Alec Baldwin will hand over his cellphone to authorities sometime this week, his lawyer confirmed Thursday to Fox News Digital.
"We reached an agreement last weekend with the Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office and the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office, and Mr. Baldwin’s phone is being turned over this week for review," Baldwin's civil attorney Aaron Dyer of Pillsbury, Winthrop, Shaw, Pittman told Fox News Digital.
"Ever since this tragic incident, Mr. Baldwin has continued to cooperate with the authorities, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply untrue," he added. "We requested that the authorities obtain a warrant so that we could protect his privacy on other matters unrelated to ‘Rust’ and have been working through that process. We are finalizing logistics with the authorities in New York who are assisting in this matter."
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Alec Baldwin's attorney confirmed the actor will hand over his cellphone to authorities. (Fox News Digital)
Dyer's confirmation comes on the same day the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department shared a press release claiming the phone had not been retrieved.
"To date, the cellphone has not been turned over to authorities," the press release stated.
The search warrant for the cellphone was approved by a Santa Fe County magistrate judge on Dec. 16. The lead detective on the case served the warrant to Baldwin through his attorney via email and the attorney acknowledged it, according to the sheriff's department press release.
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ALEC BALDWIN'S CELL PHONE RETRIEVAL BECOMES THE TARGET OF NEW YORK, NEW MEXICO AUTHORITIES
After Baldwin didn't immediately hand over the cellphone, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department enlisted the help of the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office and authorities in the state of New York.
The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department wants to search Baldwin's phone for any evidence relating to the death of Halyna Hutchins. Baldwin was holding a gun while rehearsing for a scene in the indie film "Rust" on Oct. 21 when the gun discharged, killing Hutchins.
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The Santa Fe County Sheriff's Department has requested the cellphone in a search warrant. (Fox News Digital)
"Affiant is requesting a warrant for the seizure and search of Alec Baldwins' [sic] cellphone to search for any evidence relating to the death investigation of Halyna Hutchins," the affidavit, obtained by Fox News Digital, said. "Affiant believes there may be evidence on the phone due to individuals using cellular phones during and/or after the commission of crime(s)."
"Such information, if it exists, may be material and relevant to this investigation. Affiant was also made aware there were several emails and text messages sent and received regarding the movie production 'Rust' in the course of interviews."
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Baldwin was holding a gun while rehearsing for a scene in the indie film "Rust" on Oct. 21 when the gun discharged, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. (Mat Hayward/Getty Images for AMC Networks)
Dyer previously claimed the actor "proactively requested" that police obtain a search warrant in order for him to "protect" himself and his family.