Rip Torn cleared of DUI charge in Connecticut

LITCHFIELD, Conn. -- A Connecticut judge has dismissed a drunken-driving charge against Rip Torn after the actor completed a court-ordered alcohol education program.

Torn was arrested in December 2008 near his home in Salisbury. He was stopped while driving in the breakdown lane with a Christmas tree tied atop his Subaru.

Bantam Superior Court Judge Cara Eschuck dismissed the charge Friday because Torn completed a program that gives drunken-driving defendants a chance to clear their records.

But another case is pending against the 79-year-old: charges that he broke into a bank in January while intoxicated and armed. He returns to court Tuesday in that case.

Torn won an Emmy for "The Larry Sanders Show." Screen credits include the "Men in Black" movies.