OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Former child star Macaulay Culkin pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges of possession of medication without a prescription and marijuana and was given a deferred sentence.

Culkin, star of the 1990 movie “Home Alone,” was arrested Sept. 17 after Oklahoma City police stopped a car in which he was a passenger. Officers found over a half-ounce of marijuana and several tablets of Xanax, a prescription medication used to treat depression and panic disorders, court records show.

Culkin, wearing a gray suit and a white open-collared shirt, entered the pleas during a brief hearing before Special Judge Russell Hall, who gave Culkin a 1-year deferred sentence on each of the charges and assessed a total of $940 in fees.

The actor spoke softly during the hearing and his words were inaudible in the crowded courtroom. He made no comments to a group of reporters as he left.

He recently testified in the Michael Jackson child molestation case, saying he spent time with Jackson as a boy but was never molested.

Culkin, 24, arrived in Oklahoma County District Court about 10 minutes before his case was called and was immediately recognized by other misdemeanor defendants and court personnel.

“I love your work,” one woman said as she walked past Culkin. Culkin cracked a slight smile and bowed politely from his seat.

Debra Forshee, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office, said Culkin was required to appear before Hall to resolve the charges.

“We treated him as we would treat any other defendant,” Forshee said.

Assistant District Attorney Greg Mashburn said Culkin completed all requirements of his probation before he came to court, including a drug and alcohol assessment. Mashburn said the assessment revealed Culkin does not have a drug problem.

Mashburn said authorities seized eight Xanax tablets from a car driven by a friend of Culkin’s, Brett M. Tabisel, 22, of New York City. Tabisel was pulled over on Interstate 44 for driving 70 mph in a 60 mph zone and an improper lane change, according to a police report.

Tabisel agreed to let police search the car and told a police officer that prescription pills were inside.

Culkin told the officer there was $3,000 in a bag on the floor of the car. As they opened the bag together, the officer saw a small clear bag containing what appeared to be marijuana, the report states.

Culkin handed over a small bag of pills and said he didn’t have a prescription for the medication.

AP-ES-06-08-05 1455EDT

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