CHANGE OF PLANS

Alec Baldwin Was Offered No-Jail Deal for ‘Rust’ Killing

But prosecutors withdrew it before he could accept, according to a court filing.

Alec Baldwin—who faces up to 18 months in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter for the Rust shooting—was initially offered a no-jail misdemeanor deal, according to a court filing made public on Friday. But, Variety reports, before the actor could accept or reject the plea bargain, prosecutors pulled it off the table and decided to indict him. The withdrawn deal was the same as the one that Dave Halls, the first assistant director on the production, took: a count of negligent handling of a deadly weapon in exchange for six months probation, a $500 fine, community service, and a firearm safety class. Baldwin is now seeking to have the felony indictment tossed before the case goes to trial in July. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a bullet fired by a gun Baldwin was using in a scene. The armorer on the set, Hannah Gutierrez Reed, was convicted this month of the same charge Baldwin faces.