Gary Busey has been charged with sexual misconduct and harassment following allegations that he inappropriately touched two women at the Monster-Mania horror convention last weekend, according to police
CNN has reported that Cherry Hill Police have charged the 78-year-old actor with two counts of fourth-degree sexual contact, one of attempted criminal sexual contact, and one of sexual harassment after responding to a call from the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey - where the convention was being held.
Busey became a household name following his portrayal of 50s Rockabilly icon Buddy Holly in 1978's The Buddy Holly Story. The role earned him an Academy Award nomination, however, Busey was never able to reach the stardom that Academy Award nominations promise.
Nevertheless, the actor would go on to land supporting roles in a number of big movies, including Point Break, Lethal Weapon, and Predator 2.
Speaking of the allegations, Cherry Hill Township police lieutenant Robert Scheunemann reportedly told the Philadelphia Inquirer: "It was about contact. It was about touching," before adding that police had received "multiple complaints" about the star's conduct.
A law firm representing Monster-Mania LLC released a statement to CNN on Saturday (August 20), saying: "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."
The statement continued: "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."
This is not Busey's first brush with the law. In 1995, the actor faced drug charges after cocaine was found in his Malibu home. And in 2001, he was arrested on spousal abuse after his ex-wife alleged he inflicted bruises on her, per Newson6.
In 2011, Busey appeared on the reality TV show, Celebrity Apprentice, and faced claims he groped one of the show's female employees. In an interview with the Daily Beast in 2016, the employee said: "We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me. And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts."
The woman continued: "I didn't know what to do. So I made this joke that, 'Oh, I've never been sexually harassed by a celebrity before!' Then he grabbed my hand and put it [over] his penis, and said, like, 'I'm just getting started, baby.'"
A fan who met Busey at the Monster-Mania convention last week spoke to CBS News about the news of the actor's charges, stating: "I'd just be disappointed if that was true, because for me, like I said, my experience was pretty good, so that's basically what I'm going to remember [...] But if other people had a bad experience, that's unfortunate for them."
It is not known whether Busey has an attorney representing him in this matter, but police are asking anyone with additional information related to the incident to contact them via email at [email protected].
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