Sean Penn charged with two misdemeanors for run-in with photographer

By WIRE SERVICES

Story Created: Feb 19, 2010 at 12:24 PM PST

Story Updated: Feb 22, 2010 at 3:14 PM PST

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Actor-director Sean Penn was charged Friday with misdemeanor battery and vandalism counts stemming from a run-in last October with a photographer outside the Brentwood Country Mart.

Penn is scheduled to be arraigned March 22 at the Airport Branch Courthouse in Los Angeles on the two misdemeanors, according to Frank Mateljan of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office.   

He is accused of kicking a photographer in the leg last Oct. 2.   

Los Angeles County prosecutors declined to file charges and referred the case to the City Attorney's Office on Nov. 9.   

"Based on the evidence provided by the LAPD for us to review, we felt the case did not rise to the level of a felony and referred it to the City Attorney's Office for consideration of a misdemeanor filing,'' Sandi Gibbons of the District Attorney's Office said at the time.   

If convicted of the misdemeanor counts, Penn faces a maximum of 18 months in jail, according to Mateljan.

Penn won Academy Awards for his lead roles in "Mystic River'' in 2003 and "Milk'' in 2008. He was also nominated for his work in "Dead Man Walking,'' "I Am Sam'' and "Sweet and Lowdown.''

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