Charges aren't filed against Busey

<br>MALIBU, Calif. (AP) _ Prosecutors won't file spousal abuse charges against Gary Busey, who was arrested at his home earlier this month after his ex-wife said the actor left her bruised. <br><br>Deputy

Monday, December 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) _ Prosecutors won't file spousal abuse charges against Gary Busey, who was arrested at his home earlier this month after his ex-wife said the actor left her bruised.

Deputy District Attorney Michael Wilson declined to file charges on Friday, spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

``We can't prove that a crime occurred. There are no independent witnesses. There is insufficient evidence for a prosecution,'' Gibbons said, adding an additional factor in the case: ``No one knows the whereabouts of the alleged victim.''

Busey, the Oscar-nominated star of 1978's ``The Buddy Holly Story,'' was arrested at his Malibu home the night of Dec. 2. The 57-year-old actor, who grew up in Tulsa, Okla., was booked for investigation of spousal abuse and released on $50,000 bond.

Busey's ex-wife, Tiani, called deputies to the home, alleging a confrontation with the actor had left her battered.

The actor is no longer represented by manager Herb Nanas or attorney Arthur Soll, who handled the actor's divorce case and said this week that he didn't know how to reach the actor. Busey has no representation listed with the Screen Actors Guild.

Busey and Tiani were married Sept. 23, 1996, about a year after paramedics were called to Busey's Malibu home by his future bride, who said he had collapsed after using cocaine. Authorities filed drug charges, but they were dropped after he enrolled in a drug-rehabilitation program. The couple divorced in June 2000.