Most popular today for playing the role of Joyce Byers in the iconic Netflix series Stranger Things, Winona Ryder also happens to be one of the highest-paid actresses on the show. Thus, you generally may not associate her with any form of petty crime like theft or vandalism, but that’s where her actions from 2001 may shock you.

Winona Ryder in a still from Girl, Interrupted

In that year, the star found herself being arrested by the authorities on charges of theft via shoplifting in a high-end department store in Beverly Hills, California. Seeing as she had no obvious motives to do such an act, she was soon referred by the court to go through extensive drug counseling sessions along with other forms of correction.

Winona Ryder Had To Be Subjected To Drug Counseling For Shoplifting Charges In 2001

Winona Ryder in a still from Edward Scissorhands

Controversies are a common occurrence among the denizens of Hollywood for one thing or the other, some of which might just be puffery, while some are incidents that these stars have been caught in red-handed. One such incident occurred with popular actress Winona Ryder when she was caught shoplifting by the staff of a department store.

The aforementioned incident took place in 2001 when she was seen in a high-end department store in Beverly Hills, California named Saks Fifth Avenue. Here, the security cameras witnessed the  Beetlejuice star ripping off security tags from several articles of clothing and other products, and stuffing them into her bag after successfully doing so.

As the police came to know about her actions which were reported by the staff and had been caught by the security guards of the store, she was immediately arrested on sight. Once in custody, she was found in possession of many painkillers that were not prescribed to her by her doctor, which made the case a possibility of prescription drug influence.

Thus, with all the evidence against her, the criminal court sentenced her to three years of probation, 480 hours of community service, and $10,000 in fines with a mandatory psychological and drug counseling session on the charges of Grand Theft and Vandalism.

What Were Her Reasons For Committing The Crime?

Winona Ryder in a still from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

While it may seem like this was just a case of acts committed under the influence of drugs, Ryder herself stated that this was nothing but her doing research for her next film at the time.

Her claims were quickly deemed to be false though, as at the time, she wasn’t reported working on any films, and even if she did, it wouldn’t explain the possession of unprescribed painkillers. Even when asked by her lawyer at the time, he said that this was nothing but a case of misunderstanding between his client and the staff of the department store.