Ryan O’Neal, 67, and his son Redmond, 23, were both arrested and charged with drug possession last Wednesday after cops found crystal meth in both the father and son’s bedrooms during a routine sweep of the house. Redmond is on probation for another drug charge, which is why the police searched the Malibu home he shares with his father and his mother, actress Farrah Fawcett, who was said to have been home and sleeping at the time.

Ryan’s lawyer told the press that it was all a misunderstanding and that the drugs were in no way Ryan’s despite the fact that they were found in his room. An eyewitness quoted by the National Enquirer says otherwise. The person claims to have done drugs with both Redmond and his dad, and to know that Ryan also routinely hired hookers for his son. Ryan did have some standards, though – he told his son he could snort meth, but not smoke it. He also got his own dealer when he realized his son was hoarding drugs and keeping them from him.

The witness quoted by The Enquirer says that Ryan punched Redmond in the head right in front of him, and that he also gave him his credit card to hire hookers:

“I’ve known Redmond since seventh grade when we were doing a lot of cocaine and crystal meth…

“About four years ago, Redmond and I were doing crystal, and we took some up to his dad. Ryan scooped some up, crushed it into a line and snorted it…

“Ryan didn’t mind us snorting crystal – with or without him – but he warned us not to smoke it. He thought that was much worse, but we’d break up a sack of crystal and snort it and drink a beer with him, and then go downstairs to Redmond’s room and smoke and get high.”

For a while, O’Neal let his son – who’s been in rehab 12 times since the age of 13 – buy drugs for him from a dealer, explained the friend.

“Then Ryan found out Redmond was ‘shorting’ him – keeping some of the drugs for himself or stealing his money – and he got his own dealer,” confided the friend…

“Once I slept over, and Ryan was driving us to McDonald’s…

“Redmond had been snorting coke all night. He was in the passenger seat and he grabbed Ryan’s gym towel and blew his nose on it. It made a horrible mess.

“Ryan was furious! He punched Redmond in the head so hard that he flew up against the car window and started crying.”

O’Neal also encouraged the two pals to hire prostitutes for sex, claimed the friend.

“When I was over there once, Ryan gave Redmond his credit card and said, ‘Why don’t you guys get yourselves some girls?'” the friend divulged.

“We didn’t take him up on it, but recently Redmond has been using his father’s credit card to pay prostitutes $200 a time to come to the house.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, October 6, 2008]

That’s pretty despicable if it’s true and hopefully Ryan will get some sort of court-ordered treatment after this mess. His son is old enough to take responsibility for his actions, but it’s easy to see how he got so screwed up in the first place with a drug-addicted, abusive, enabling father.

Ryan O’Neal is shown on 9/20/08. Redmond O’Neal is shown on 9/20/08. Credit: Fame Pictures