Actor Rose McGowan, who has accused producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, questioned whether a months-old warrant for her arrest was an effort to “silence” her and called it a “load of HORSESHIT”.

News of a February warrant for a felony drug possession charge in Washington DC spread on Monday, raising questions about why one of the most prominent women to accuse Weinstein of assault appeared to be facing law enforcement threats related to a matter from eight months ago.

A police spokesman told the Guardian on Tuesday that a reporter had initially inquired about the charge just as the Weinstein scandal was breaking this month, raising further questions about how the media may have learned about the criminal case.

McGowan – whose Weinstein allegations were included in a 5 October New York Times investigation that inspired dozens of women to come forward – was charged after her “personal belongings … tested positive for narcotics”, police said in a statement.

Police investigated McGowan’s belongings after she left them behind on a 20 January flight, leading to a controlled substance possession charge and a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police department arrest warrant, officials said.

McGowan tweeted on Monday: “Are they trying to silence me? There is a warrant out for my arrest in Virginia. What a load of HORSESHIT.”

“Law enforcement has made attempts to reach out to her and her representatives regarding the matter,” spokesman Andrew Trull said in an interview Tuesday. The warrant is noted in a national law enforcement database, meaning if police pulled McGowan over, authorities would learn of the charge and could detain her, he said.

It is unclear if news of the warrant had been leaked to the press. It appears that the gossip website Radar Online was the first to publish a piece, and a representative of the site said in an email that it reported on the matter after McGowan’s tweet.

Trull said the police department had followed normal procedures, made no announcement about McGowan’s charges and provided basic information to reporters who have inquired.

“It’s not something that is new, and it is not something we chose to publicize in any way.”

Trull also said the department had received a media inquiry about the warrant weeks earlier, but he said he was unaware of the exact timing or source. The arrest warrant is a matter of public record, though it is unclear if it is noted online anywhere.

Weinstein, who was fired from his company, has faced allegations that he has attempted to silence and discredit accusers by manipulating the media and helping plant negative stories about the women. The New Yorker investigation noted that details of the past of one of his accusers began to appear in the tabloids after she reported an allegation to the police.

Earlier this month, McGowan was briefly suspended from Twitter, with the site saying she violated policies by publicizing a private phone number in an email screenshot. The ban sparked widespread backlash and criticisms that the social media corporation was censoring a prominent advocate for survivors of sexual violence.

Weinstein’s representative has said he “unequivocally denies” allegations of non-consensual sex, and the producer has apologized for his behavior, but has said he also denies many of the claims of sexual harassment. His spokesperson has also said: “Mr Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”

A representative for McGowan said she had no further comment about the warrant.

Contact the author: sam.levin@theguardian.com