Comedian Paul Rodriguez Arrested On Drug Charge For 2nd Time This Year: Report

BURBANK, CA — Comedian Paul Rodriguez is facing a drug possession charge in Burbank, five months after being arrested on similar charges in the city, according to a report.

The 70-year-old was arrested at around 8:30 p.m. Monday at a parking structure in downtown Burbank. He was booked at the Burbank City Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor narcotics possession, a Burbank Police Department spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times.

A witness called police to report that a woman and a man, later identified by police as Rodriguez, appeared to be intoxicated as they left an area restaurant, according to the Times.

Officers located Rodriguez and the woman, who they said matched the witnesses' description, in the parking structure in Rodriguez's car.

Officers Xanax and "suspected fentanyl" in his car. He told police the drugs weren't his, according to the Times.

The officers also found Xanax and heroin in the woman's bag. The woman, who has not been identified publicly, was arrested on suspicion of drug possession, the Times reported.

Rodriguez was previously arrested in March in Burbank, again on suspicion of drug possession, when a vehicle in which Rodriguez was a passenger was stopped for a code violation, and a subsequent search turned up narcotics, Burbank Police Department officials told multiple media outlets.

In addition to his more than 30-year career as a stand-up comedian — often doing routines in both English and Spanish — Rodriguez has appeared in more than 40 films, including "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" in 2008 and 2002's "Blood Work" with Clint Eastwood, along with numerous TV shows and specials.

The Mexico native, who was raised in Los Angeles, is also noted for his charitable work, including participating for more than 30 years in the annual free Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the underprivileged at Hollywood's Laugh Factory.

In 1992, he received the Ruben Salazar Award for Communications from UnidosUS — the nation's largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization — which recognizes an individual who has "dedicated his or her life to promoting accurate and positive portrayals of Hispanic historical, political, economic and cultural contributions to American society."

City News Service contributed to this report.