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Taryn Manning of ‘OITNB’ denies report she was arrested over threats

Taryn Manning of "Orange Is the New Black" was upset Wednesday over a report that she'd been arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, tweeting that there were no charges against her.
(Bryan Steffy / Getty Images)
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Taryn Manning of “Orange Is the New Black” is taking issue with a report that she was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill her former roommate in New York City.

Manning, who plays spitfire inmate Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett on the hit Netflix series, opened fire via Twitter on Wednesday morning and accused TMZ of botching its story.

“There are no charges against me. ... This is just further harassment,” wrote Manning, 36, rolling a smiley-face emoticon into the message. “It is troubling that the system can be used to abuse the actual victim.”

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According to TMZ’s report, which referred to court documents, Manning violated a mutual restraining order involving former friend and roommate Jeanine Heller. The website said that Manning had, via text message and social media, allegedly threatened to kill Heller several times, at one point asking: “Shouldn’t you be dead by now?”

The prison-dramedy star saw it differently: “Oh! That’s what happened huh?” she wrote, accusing TMZ of not having all the facts.

“I could go on any media outlet and tell the real story but I’d rather save my time and energy for things that really matter,” Manning tweeted later. She’d previously said she was in L.A., her hometown, and on her way to Disneyland. “All will unfold.”

Manning had pressed charges against Heller in July, alleging that the latter was harassing her with emails and texts, the New York Post said. An order of protection was issued at that time.

Heller was arrested Sept. 2 for allegedly violating the order, according to E! News. In October, Heller reportedly pleaded guilty to contempt and agreed to six months of mental health treatment.

“Ms. Heller was not on a campaign to harass and stalk Taryn Manning,” Heller’s lawyer told E! at the time. “Simply, Ms. Heller took responsibility for a phone call she placed to Ms. Manning in August.”

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A law enforcement official told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday that a case had been brought against Manning, but said the office of Manhattan Dist. Atty. Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to prosecute.

Manning’s attorney told TMZ that Manning’s arrest had been voided. A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department told the Los Angeles Times that she was unable to locate a record of Manning’s arrest.

If the arrest were voided, the spokesman said, the NYPD would be unable to release any information on the matter.

When criminal charges are dismissed against a defendant in New York City, the court records are typically sealed, meaning records of an original arrest are unlikely to become public.

Law enforcement officials told Gossip Cop that a warrant for Manning’s arrest had been issued Tuesday by a judge who determined that a restraining order between the two former friends had been violated. The actress was not in court at the time, and the judge reportedly held her in contempt.

Manning sent a series of annoyed tweets on Wednesday morning, seemingly taking potshots at her former roommate and at TMZ, saying the news outlet should get “all the facts” before publishing.

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“For a phone call and a lot of time on your hands, you too can get a news media outlet to post totally incorrect information!” Manning wrote, adding the hashtag “#sarcastictweet” for emphasis.

Follow @JamesQueallyLAT on Twitter for breaking news.

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