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Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin hands over cellphone in 'Rust' investigation, weeks after warrant issued

Elise Brisco
USA TODAY

Alec Baldwin handed his cellphone over to authorities Friday after a search warrant was issued last month in the investigation of the "Rust" movie set shooting. 

The actor's phone "has been turned over to Suffolk County law enforcement authorities," said a statement to USA TODAY from Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Juan Rios. "They will gather information off the phone and provide the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office with the evidence gathered."

Rios said Santa Fe officials do "not yet have physical possession of the data to be retrieved off the Baldwin phone. This is in process."

On Thursday, authorities said they had yet to receive Baldwin's phone, despite the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office getting involved. The search warrant was issued Dec. 16.

"When Mr. Baldwin had not immediately provided his phone pursuant to the initial search warrant, the Santa Fe County Sheriff's Office also reached out for assistance from the Santa Fe District Attorney's Office," a news release from the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office said Thursday.

"The District Attorney's Office began working with Mr. Baldwin's attorney to retrieve the phone." Because of jurisdictional concerns, police were then told the district attorney "would be facilitating the retrieval of the phone on a consent basis." 

"To date, the cell phone has not been turned in to authorities," the release added.  

Baldwin's lawyer, Aaron Dyer, said Thursday in a statement to USA TODAY that he had reached an agreement with the Santa Fe Sheriff's Office and the district attorney to turn over the phone "this week" and that Dyer's team was finalizing logistics with the New York authorities.

"Mr. Baldwin’s phone is being turned over this week for review. Ever since this tragic incident, Mr. Baldwin has continued to cooperate with the authorities, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply untrue," he wrote. "We requested that the authorities obtain a warrant so that we could protect his privacy on other matters unrelated to Rust and have been working through that process." 

More:As Alec Baldwin faces a lawsuit, all eyes are on the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins

Police are still waiting for Alec Baldwin's phone to be turned over after sending a search warrant almost a month ago.

Baldwin, the star and a producer of "Rust," was holding a revolver during film rehearsal when it fired, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza on the Bonanza Creek Ranch film set near Santa Fe on Oct. 21. 

Search warrant issued:Alec Baldwin's mobile phone sought in 'Rust' shooting investigation

According to earlier court documents obtained by USA TODAY, police have been seeking to conduct a "forensic download" of the iPhone that will include text messages, recent call lists, images, videos, calls or other information related to the movie's production.

Investigators believe there might be information on the phone "material and relevant to the investigation," the documents said.

In an interview with ABC News in December, Baldwin said: "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me. Honest to God, if I felt that I was responsible, I might have killed myself if I thought I was responsible. And I don’t say that lightly.”

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