Actor T.J. Miller arrested for phoning in fake bomb threat

Actor and comedian T.J. Miller allegedly called in a fake bomb threat after drinking too much and arguing with a woman on a train. Miller was arrested Monday night at LaGuardia airport and later released on bail of $100,000. The arrest stems from an incident that occurred March 18th. From the Hollywood Reporter:

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According to authorities, the 36-year-old comedian and actor allegedly called 911 and told the dispatcher he was on an Amtrak Train traveling from Washington, D.C. toward Penn Station in New York City and that a female passenger “has a bomb in her bag.”

The train Miller identified was stopped in Connecticut at Green’s Farms Station in Westport. All passengers were kicked off and bomb squad members searched the area. “No evidence of any explosive device or materials was detected,” according to authorities. It was later discovered that Miller was on a different train.

The attendant on Miller’s actual train stated that he “appeared intoxicated upon boarding in Washington, that he consumed multiple drinks on the train, and that he had been removed in New York owing to his intoxication. The attendant also advised that Miller had been involved in hostile exchanges with a woman who was sitting in a different row from him in the first class car,” according to the release.

Miller has had a run of bad news lately. Last summer he and producers of the show “Silicon Valley,” on which he starred for four seasons, mutually agreed he would not return for season five. Last month, the Hollywood Reporter published a story saying that while no one would discuss the exact reasons for Miller’s departure on the record there were rumors it might have to do with his drinking:

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While nearly everyone associated with the series is loath to speak publicly about the events that led to the actor’s departure, several make veiled references to his “demons” and the fact that he’s been known to self-medicate with alcohol and other substances. Miller hasn’t been shy about those vices either, wearing them at times like a badge of honor — or at least a solid launchpad for comedy, with bits that have hinged on his propensity to “drink till [he] passed out.” There had been stretches when, multiple show sources say, he looked to have things under control, and others when he’d show up seemingly under the influence, if he showed up at all.

“There are a lot of different ways you can find out somebody doesn’t want to do the show anymore,” says Judge, seated now in his cluttered office on the Sony lot, a short walk from the set. “And it’s not fun to work with someone who doesn’t want to be there, [especially when] they’re one of the main people and you’ve got however many crewmembers and extras and people who are [not paid as well] and they’re all showing up before 7 a.m., and then are just like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re not shooting today.'”

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In the same story, Miller defended himself saying he wasn’t drunk or high on set but admitted that he was often doing stand-up late at night which meant he often showed up to work having had little sleep. In addition to his job woes, last December a woman anonymously accused Miller of assaulting her during a relationship they had at George Washington University in the early 2000s. The woman described the incident to the Daily Beast.

Months into their relationship, which started in the fall of 2001, Sarah said the first troubling encounter took place. She recalled having “a lot to drink” and admitted that there are “parts of [the incident] I don’t remember.” She stressed that “it is important to me to cop to that… [and] I’m not interested in forcing a pretend memory on anyone… 15 years later, I remain terrified of accusing someone of something they didn’t do, but I have a visual and physical memory of that.”

However, Sarah said she has a distinct memory that as they were “fooling around” at her place, Miller began “shaking me violently” and punched her in the mouth during sex.

Sarah said that she woke up the following morning with a fractured tooth and a bloodied lip.

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Miller’s hardly the first comedian to struggle with personal demons. In fact, it’s almost a cliche that most comedians have a lot of underlying rage driving their performances. But in this case, he appears to have crossed the line between self-destruction and a federal crime. If convicted of making a fake bomb threat he could face up to five years in prison. I don’t think that’s likely to happen in this case, but I do think Miller’s only way out of this is likely to involve some addiction treatment in lieu of jail time.

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