Baldwin's car theft case dropped

Mr Baldwin was arrested in November and charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle and receiving stolen goods.

But the vehicle's owner, a friend of Mr Baldwin, later said the report of a theft was a misunderstanding.

An Orange County district attorney spokesperson said evidence submitted did not support going on with the case.

"It's not unusual in cases like this for friends or family to change their story to protect somebody they're close to," spokesperson Farrah Emami also told Reuters news agency.

Mr Baldwin is the brother of fellow actors Alec, Stephen and William Baldwin. He was arrested in November on suspicion of stealing a sport utility vehicle from a friend in the town of Aliso Viejo, south of Los Angeles.

Police traced the vehicle to a Santa Monica motel car park, using a signal from the car's security system, two days after it was reported stolen.

They arrested the actor when he was seen getting into the car. He was charged and later released.

Mr Baldwin also made the news in July when he crashed his car on a busy Los Angeles street after being witnessed driving at more than 80 mph (128 kph).

Baldwin's other acting credits include the film Car 54, Where Are You?

He also appeared in the US version of reality TV show Celebrity Fit Club.

On the same day as Mr Baldwin was cleared of car theft charges, his brother Alec appeared on the US TV talk show The View to apologise for calling his 11-year-old daughter a "thoughtless little pig" in a voice-mail message.

The message was published online and a court hearing is set for 5 June to determine how it was made public.