'WEST WING' PRODUCER FACES DRUG CHARGE

LOS ANGELES, April 16 -- "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin was arrested over
the weekend at Burbank Airport after he was found with hallucinogenic
mushrooms in his carry-on luggage.

The 39-year-old executive producer, who had just completed writing the
season's last episode of the Emmy-winning White House drama, was headed for
a flight to Las Vegas when security personnel doing a routine check found
the mushrooms wrapped in tissue paper, according to an airport spokesman.

Airport police took Sorkin to the Burbank jail, where he was charged with
possession of a controlled substance. He was released on $10,000 bail a few
hours later.

Sorkin released a statement saying: "I am glad to be surrounded by such a
supportive group of people and am prepared to proceed as directed by my
attorney and in the best interest of my family."

NBC and Warner Bros. Television, which produces "West Wing," also released
an official comment, saying that "we have the utmost respect for Aaron
Sorkin and his family and fully support them during this difficult time."

This is the second embarrassing incident involving drugs for NBC this year.
"Friends" star Matthew Perry checked himself into a drug rehab program in
late February.

Sorkin has spoken openly about his past struggles with drug addiction,
saying he used his own experiences to shape the "West Wing" character of
White House chief of staff Leo McGarry, a recovering alcoholic. In recent
years he has married, and he and his wife had a child last year.

News of Sorkin's arrest on drug charges came as a surprise on the set of
the show. Close associates say nothing in the writer's recent behavior
indicated a relapse into drug use.

On the contrary, said one such colleague, "I have no sense of his having
any ongoing problem here. He hasn't missed a minute of work. He's here at
7:30 a.m., two hours before anyone else, and the earliest he ever leaves is
7:30 [p.m.]. He frequently leaves after midnight."

A hard-charging perfectionist, Sorkin wrote each of the 22 "West Wing"
episodes this season. He finished the last episode -- which is being shot
this week -- at the end of last week, and went to a wrap party for the show
on Saturday night before heading to the airport for Las Vegas on Sunday.

Sorkin will be arraigned on the charges on April 30.