Actor Randy Quaid Arrested in Marfa

MARFA, Texas (AP) — Actor Randy Quaid and his wife have been arrested in West Texas for allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 California hotel bill.

Quaid and his wife, Evi, were taken into custody Thursday afternoon, according to Santa Barbara County sheriff’s officials, who said authorities in West Texas informed them of the arrest. A statement from the California agency said it was told by the Presidio County Sheriff’s Department that Evi Quaid was restrained after a brief struggle.

Presidio County Sheriff Danny Dominguez declined to respond to questions from The Associated Press.

Presidio County authorities said earlier Thursday that the two were in custody in Marfa but the department wasn’t releasing other details.

Santa Barbara County’s sheriff’s spokesman Drew Sugars says the warrant for Quaid and his wife set bail at $20,000 each. The felony warrant is for burglary, defrauding an innkeeper and conspiracy.

He says detectives haven’t been able to interview the actor yet.

A message left for Randy Quaid’s commercial agent, Steven Arcieri, was not immediately returned.

Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson in "LBJ: The Early Years"; but he’s perhaps best known for his roles in the

"National Lampoon’s Vacation" movies, "Independence Day" and "Kingpin."

He also played a hard-nosed sheep rancher in "Brokeback Mountain," then sued Focus Features and the film’s producers in 2006, claiming he was compelled to work cheaply when told the film — which earned $82 million at the domestic box office — had no prospects of making money.

Quaid is a native Texan and the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid.

Marfa, a remote West Texas town, is no stranger to Hollywood attention.

More than 50 years ago, filmmaker George Stevens settled on the area for his epic Texas oil tale "Giant," which starred Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean. (Stevens won a best director Oscar for "Giant" in 1957, the only win of that film’s 10 nominations).

More recently, "There Will be Blood" and "No Country for Old Men" were filmed in the desolate town of 2,100, founded as a railroad stop in 1883.