LOS ANGELES - Actor/comedian Paul Reubens, best known as the goofy Pee-wee Herman, was charged with possessing child pornography on Friday, Reuters reports. The actor was charged with one misdemeanor count of possessing materials depicting children under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct, said Ana Garcia, a spokeswoman with the City Attorney's office. He surrendered to authorities Friday and was released on $20,000 bail.
The charge comes on the heels of last Thursday's arrest of veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller's Day Off), who was charged with a felony count of using a minor for sex acts and misdemeanor possession of child pornography. Authorities accuse Jones of hiring a 14-year-old boy to pose for sexually explicit photos between September 2000 and May 2001.
Authorities say Reubens, 50, and Jones, 56, are acquaintances and although both cases stem from the same police investigation, the charges are unrelated.
This new charge against Reubens, who was also involved in a lewd conduct scandal in 1991, comes from a search of both actors' homes in November of 2001.
According to Reuters, officials apparently found photographs of the same minor Jones had used in his photographs while searching Reubens' home.
The district attorney didn't file charges against Reubens at the time because the photos were not sexually explicit. Instead, the Attorney's Office told Reuters they waited until the last day possible under the statue of limitations to slap Reubens with the misdemeanor charge.
Reubens' attorney Blair Berk told Reuters the actor was unaware that the "collection of vintage physique art photography" contained anything improper and that the charge was completely untrue.
Jones' attorney Jeff Brodey told the Los Angeles Times there was no physical contact between Jones and the minor. "This is all about photos. There's not allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor," Brodey told the Times, adding that Jones "is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn't be ruined."
The 55-year-old Jones could face up to three years in prison if convicted and would be registered as a sex offender for life.
Reubens' case, however, is not quite as severe. He could face up to a year in jail and would have to pay a $2,500 fine if convicted.
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