Long-time junkie/Academy Award-winning actress Tatum O’Neal is apparently back to her old ways: police arrested Tatum in NYC’s Lower East Side on Sunday for allegedly buying crack and cocaine. Police said they found two bags of crack and cocaine in her right pants pocket around 7:30pm last night.

The 44-year-old actress looked tired and did not speak as she was arraigned Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court on a charge of criminal possession of a controlled substance. Afterward, her lawyer whisked her into a waiting car.

The DA’s office is recommending O’Neal, who has a long history of drug abuse, receive drug treatment.

O’Neil, who became the youngest-ever to snag an Oscar, at age 10, for her role in “Paper Moon,” was arrested by detectives from Manhattan South Narcotics on Clinton Street between East Broadway and Grand Street, the sources said, just blocks from her luxury apartment.

“When the police approached, she asked them, ‘You know who I am, right?’ ” one source told The Post.

“Then she said, ‘I’m researching a part, I’m doing this for a part’ ” as a junkie.

The source said detectives found a pipe on O’Neal, daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal. The pipe and screen were clean.

“Then she said she’d been clean for two years, and that she’d just came out today,” the source said.

“Can’t we just forget about this?” the sources said she begged detectives.

Tatum previously claimed that she kicked a heroin habit in 1996 after extensive rehab treatment.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 2nd, 2008 at 12:54 pm and is filed under Celeb Crime, Crackies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.