No, Alec Baldwin wasn’t arrested for murder, child pornography

The district attorney in Santa Fe County, N.M., said on Oct. 26 that she wasn’t ruling out criminal charges in the shooting that left Los Angeles cinematographer Halyna Hutchins dead on the set of "Rust."

Actor Alec Baldwin was handling the gun that fired, but District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said that her office was focused on figuring out what kind of round was in the gun and who had loaded the ammunition, the New York Times reported.  

"It’s probably weeks, if not months, of follow-up investigation that we’re going to need to get to the point of charging," the Times quoted her as saying.

A more dramatic news headline now being shared on social media contradicts that narrative, and that’s because it’s not true. 

"Alec Baldwin arrested for first-degree murder and possession of child pornography," the headline says. 

It continues: "The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Alec Baldwin and charged him with first-degree murder as well as possession of child pornography, and ordered a media blackout that has been approved by a judge. Outlets in the United States are temporarily banned from reporting on Baldwin’s arrest." 

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A spokesperson for the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office did not return our calls asking about the claims. 

But there is nothing to support these allegations, and the website that posted this story has previously posted other misinformation that we’ve debunked, including claims that Brian Laundrie is alive in Mexico, that former President Barack Obama was arrested for espionage, and that Pope Francis was arrested.  

This story about Baldwin’s supposed arrest was posted on the website on Oct. 23, several days before the New York Times story reporting that prosecutors were not close to filing criminal charges. 

And since then, Fox News reported that Baldwin was seen picking up food in Vermont on Oct. 25. TMZ posted a photo of Baldwin there on what it said was Oct. 24.

We rate claims that he was arrested Pants on Fire!