TV WRITER CHARGED IN DRUG CASE

Aaron Sorkin, creator of the popular White House television drama "The West
Wing," was charged Monday with three counts of possessing illegal drugs.

Two of the charges are felonies that could result in up to three years in
prison, according to the district attorney's office.

The charges stem from Sorkin's arrest April 15 at a Burbank Airport
security checkpoint. Officers said they found small amounts of
hallucinogenic mushrooms, rock cocaine and marijuana in his luggage,
prosecutors said Monday.

Sorkin, 39, of Studio City, has remained free on $10,000 bail, but Dist.
Atty. Steve Cooley's office has asked that bail be raised to $20,000.
Sorkin is due to appear in Burbank Superior Court for arraignment Wednesday.

Sorkin is recognized as one of television's premier talents. He won an Emmy
Award last year for best writing. He has publicly acknowledged a cocaine
addiction that caused him to check into the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota
for treatment in 1995.

In a 1999 interview with The Times, Sorkin said, "I'm the same as any other
addict. I'm only a phone call away from getting loaded again."