Fred Willard Cleared Of Lewd Conduct Charges
Actor Fred Willard has been cleared of the lewd conduct charges filed against him in July after he allegedly masturbated in a theater while viewing a porn film.
The veteran actor has completed a court-ordered sex education course, which clears him of the lewd conduct charges he faced over the summer. Just in case your memory of the incident is fuzzy, here’s a recap: Willard was charged with lewd conduct after allegedly masturbating while watching a pornographic film at Hollywood’s Tiki Theater in July; Willard said that it was all a misunderstanding and reached a deal with authorities to avoid formal prosecution, reports MSN.
Willard has since fulfilled his part of the deal, charges have been dropped, and the investigation has now been closed.
“That’s all over with. Everything’s done. It was nothing. The charges were dropped,” he told TMZ, who originally reported the story as well as his 2-week Alternative Prosecution Program, which educated him on obeying laws relating to lewd conduct. Willard joked that the class was a cinch, “like traffic school.”
The 73-year-old actor has stressed his innocence after the arrest, describing his offense as a misunderstanding. Still, the bad publicity has cost his some work. He lost his job as the narrator for the PBS reality TV show Market Warriors and, ABC halted Willard’s improvisation series Trust Us With Your Life.
Two questions: One, are you a fan of Fred Willard? And two, can someone please explain to me how being caught masturbating in a theater qualifies as a misunderstanding? Sound off!
