'WEST WING' CREATOR AARON SORKIN ARRESTED ON DRUG CHARGE

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The creator of the Emmy-winning drama "The West
Wing" was arrested at an airport for investigation of possessing illegal
hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Aaron Sorkin, 39, was arrested Sunday afternoon at Burbank Airport after
security officers found a small bag in his carry-on luggage containing
paper bundles filled with what authorities believed were the mushrooms,
said Victor Gill, an airport spokesman.

Sorkin, who has acknowledged a past addiction to cocaine, was arrested
on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and booked at the
Burbank city jail, said Sgt. Tom Davenport of the Burbank Airport
Police.

He was released Sunday night on $10,000 bond. Arraignment has been
scheduled for April 30 in Burbank Superior Court.

Sorkin, who was traveling alone en route to Las Vegas, had a "fainting
spell" after officers approached him but declined medical help and was
sober and cooperative, Gill said.

"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," Sorkin said in a statement Monday. "I appreciate your
respect for my family's privacy during this period."

A playwright turned movie and TV writer, Sorkin wrote the Broadway and
film versions of the military drama "A Few Good Men," the screenplay for
"The American President" and the TV comedy "Sports Night."

"The West Wing," starring Martin Sheen as the president, won a
record-setting nine Emmys last year, including one for Sorkin for best
writing. Sorkin has addressed the issue of drug abuse in the series,
portraying the chief of staff as a recovering addict.

"It's finally coming out of the closet as a health problem, not a
criminal problem," Sorkin told The Associated Press in January. "I think
that as people become more aware of that about addiction, they find
there are interesting ways to tell stories about it."

Sorkin has acknowledged a freebase cocaine addiction that caused him to
check into the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota for treatment in 1995.

He and his wife, Julia, had their first child late last year, and he
spoke at the time about how he almost didn't live to see the birth.

"There are people here tonight, friends of mine, who helped to make sure
that I didn't miss that, and I really thank them very much," he said.

Warner Bros. and NBC said in a statement that they "have the utmost
respect for Aaron Sorkin and his family and fully support them during
his difficult time."