Edited by: TJVNews.com
Actor Gary Busey has been charged with sexual offenses at a New Jersey fan convention this month, according to an AP report.
Busey, 78, was charged Friday with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment following alleged actions Aug. 12-14 at the Monster Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel in the Philadelphia suburb of Cherry Hill, police said Saturday.
The charges stem from offenses at the annual Monster Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel on Aug. 12-14 in Cherry Hill, a Philadelphia suburb, police said.
Busey, who lives in Malibu, California, was scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event.
The AP reported that police did not immediately respond to a message seeking details. It also wasn’t clear whether Busey has an attorney to comment on the charges, and a representative didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment Saturday.
A horror movie convention promoter says it is assisting authorities following charges against Busey involving alleged sexual offenses at an event in New Jersey earlier this month.
The AP reported that Monster-Mania Convention said in a Facebook post that after attendees complained, an unspecified “celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return.”
“Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report,” the company said, adding that behavior that compromised the safety and well-being of attendees would not be tolerated. “Monster-Mania will continue to assist the authorities in any and every way possible,” it said.
“It was about contact. It was about touching,” Lt. Robert Scheunemann told The Philadelphia Inquirer of the muliple complaints police had received about Busey’s conduct.
A law firm representing Monster Mania told CNN in a statement on Saturday evening, “Our client, Monster-Mania LLC, is assisting authorities in their investigation into an alleged incident involving attendees and a celebrity guest at its convention in Cherry Hill, New Jersey last weekend. Immediately upon receiving a complaint from the attendee, the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return. Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that after fans complained about Busey’s conduct, the convention’s promoter saw to it that he “was removed from the convention and instructed not to return,” according to a statement released Saturday by a Haddonfield attorney hired by Monster-Mania LLC. The promoter also urged attendees to contact the police, according to the attorney, Nikitas Moustaka.
In 1966, the Texas-born Busey left Tulsa, Oklahoma to make it as a rock drummer in Hollywood, as was reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer. His band was signed to Epic Records, and when the band broke up, Busey began auditioning for television and film roles, according to his website. The Inquirer also reported that after roles in Gunsmoke and Baretta, his work in A Star Is Born won the attention of Dustin Hoffman, who hired him along with Busey’s son Jake for the film Straight Time. His work in 1987′s Lethal Weapon earned him a series of roles playing villains.
He has appeared in more than 100 movies, including Point Break, Under Siege, The Firm, Predator 2, and Slap Shot 2 , according to the Inquirer report.
Over the years, Busey has gained a reputation for erratic behavior that some have linked to a serious 1988 motorcycle accident in which he suffered head injuries. He was not wearing a helmet.
