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The Santa Fe District Attorney investigating the lethal accidental shooting<\/a> of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins<\/a> has dropped a charge against actor-producer Alec Baldwin<\/strong> that could have sent him to jail for a mandatory five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heather Brewer<\/strong>, a spokesperson for New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies<\/strong>, told The New York Times<\/em><\/a> that the charge in question\u2014known as an enhancement because it applies mandatory sentencing guidelines in firearm cases\u2014was dropped to \u201cavoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys.\u201d<\/p>\n The withdrawal of the charge against Baldwin, first reported by TMZ<\/a>, is significant, though there is still the remote possibility that, if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, he could still serve time in jail<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Earlier this month, Baldwin and his legal team argued that<\/a> adding the five-year enhancement charge was \u201ca basic legal error\u201d since the law creating the charge didn\u2019t exist until May 2022, seven months after the accident on the set of Baldwin\u2019s film Rust<\/em>. At the time of the incident, a three-year enhancement law against \u201cbrandishing\u201d a firearm was<\/em> in place, but Baldwin\u2019s lawyers claimed that law did not apply either, because \u201cbrandishing\u201d is understood to mean an \u201cintent to intimidate or injure a person.\u201d Baldwin has said the shooting was an accident, and told George Stephanopoulos<\/strong> in a December 2021 interview<\/a> that he had \u201cno idea\u201d the gun was loaded, and that he \u201cdidn’t pull the trigger.\u201d In November 2022 he initiated a lawsuit<\/a> against other Rust<\/em> crew members for negligence in an effort to \u201cclear his name.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Baldwin\u2019s attorneys have pushed back forcefully on numerous fronts. In addition to fighting the enhancement charge, they claimed<\/a> that the special prosecutor on the case, Andrea Reeb<\/strong>, should be disqualified from the case, because her position as a state lawmaker prohibits her from holding judicial authority.<\/p>\n Spokesperson Brewer commented<\/a> on these maneuvers at the time by saying, \u201cAnother day, another motion from Alec Baldwin and his attorneys in an attempt to distract from the gross negligence and complete disregard for safety on the Rust<\/em> film set that led to Halyna Hutchins\u2019 death.\u201d<\/p>\n Strangely enough, last week producers on Rust<\/em>, a lower-mid-budget Western written and directed by Joel Souza<\/strong> based on a story by Souza and Baldwin and co-produced by Baldwin, announced that they would finish production<\/a> the spring. Hutchins\u2019s widower, Matthew Hutchins<\/strong>, will now serve as an executive producer. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThough bittersweet, I am grateful that a brilliant and dedicated new production team joining former cast and crew are committed to completing what Halyna and I started,\u201d Souza said in a statement. \u201cMy every effort on this film will be devoted to honoring Halyna\u2019s legacy and making her proud. It is a privilege to see this through on her behalf.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n