LA, June 05: Actress Shelley Morrison, who plays wisecracking maid Rosario on the hit NBC sitcom "Will and Grace," pleaded no contest on Wednesday to shoplifting about $450 worth of jewellry from a Los Angeles store. Morrison, 66, was sentenced to one year`s probation and was fined $300 for misdemeanor petty theft from a Robinsons-May department store in April.
Morrison`s lawyer Donald Etra said the actress had made a mistake. "Ms. Morrison fessed up to that mistake and now she wishes to move forward. I think Ms. Morrison has certainly learned from this experience. She will never find herself in this situation again."
The actress, who has no prior record, thanked her family and friends for their support during her ordeal saying in a statement read by her lawyer that they had been "a vital piece of my healing process." She added that she was looking forward to resuming work on the next season of "Will and Grace."
Morrison`s low-key arrest and court appearance was in stark contrast to last year`s media frenzy over the trial on shoplifting charges of actress Winona Ryder.
Ryder, who repeatedly protested her innocence, was found guilty of shoplifting designer clothes worth some $5,500 from the posh Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills. She was sentenced to three years probation, 480 hours of community service and was ordered to undergo psychological and drug counseling.
Bureau Report