Alec Baldwin has not “turned over” his phone to the US authorities investigating the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust, the Sheriff’s Office has confirmed.
Authorities in the US issued a search warrant on December 16th for the actor’s mobile phone to be seized and searched as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of Hutchins.
It is believed there may be evidence on the phone relevant to the incident in which a prop gun went off, fatally injuring the 42-year-old cinematographer on the Rust film set in New Mexico.
In a statement from the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office on Thursday, they said: “To date, the cell phone has not been turned over to authorities.”
Last week, the US actor said any suggestion that he is not complying with a search warrant for his phone is a “lie”, in a video he shared to Instagram.
Santa Fe magistrates court issued the warrant for the phone to be seized and searched in December, but Baldwin has yet to give his “consent”.
On Thursday, the authorities said: “When Mr Baldwin had not immediately provided his phone pursuant to the initial search warrant, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office also reached out for assistance from the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office.
“The District Attorney’s Office began working with Mr Baldwin’s attorney to retrieve the phone.
“The Sheriff’s Office was advised that, due to jurisdictional concerns, the Santa Fe District Attorney’s Office would be facilitating the retrieval of the phone on a consent basis.
“On December 20th 2021, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office was advised that the Santa Fe District Attorney was in negotiations with Mr Baldwin’s attorney to obtain consent to retrieve the phone and its contents.
“To date, the cell phone has not been turned over to authorities.”
Director Joel Souza, 48, was also wounded in the October shooting on the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Baldwin has said he did not know the gun contained a live round and that investigators must find out who put it in the weapon.
