‘Buffy’ actor Nicholas Brendon arrested in Indiana on drug-related charges
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” alum Nicholas Brendon is facing felony charges in Indiana for allegedly obtaining prescription drugs illegally and falsely informing officers of his identity.
The 50-year-old, who played loyal pal Xander Harris in the horror-fantasy series, has had several run-ins with the law in recent years. His latest culminated in an arrest last week that produced a surreal mug shot photo of the once-clean-cut TV actor.
According to the Terre Haute, Ind., police officer’s probable cause affidavit — obtained Tuesday by The Times — Brendon was pulled over Aug. 18 after officers noticed him driving his silver Dodge Journey erratically. The affidavit said Brendon was “sweating profusely and appeared nervous due to a visibly racing pulse on his neck and shaking hands” when he was pulled over.
The “Criminal Minds” actor provided officers with a California ID bearing the name Kelton Schultz and initially claimed that was his name. They later found a pill bottle in his pocket containing amphetamine tablets prescribed to Schultz. When officers ran the license, they found a related warrant in Idaho under the alias Nicholas Bender, who has the same birth date as Schultz.
Nicholas Brendon of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame has apologized for behavior that resulted in his arrest Friday night in Boise, Idaho, and indicated he will be going to rehab.
The actor was born Nicholas Brendon Schultz and has a twin brother who goes by the professional name Kelly Donovan.
While searching Brendon’s car, police found a small plastic bag containing crystal/powder residue that officers suspected was meth or cocaine, the affidavit said. The officer also found another pill bottle with medicine prescribed to Bender. Several trim pieces in the near-new car looked broken or tampered with and the carpeting was cut in multiple places with suspicious marks visible on multiple screws, the affidavit said.
A K-9 search of the vehicle led officers to more plastic bags containing residue but no other contraband, as well as another prescription for Schultz for amphetamine salts that had been filled a day prior.
Brendon answered when the officer addressed him as “Hey Nick” and they asked him why he lied about his name. He claimed that he has a twin brother, that they have the same prescription and that they sometimes fill it for each other.
Officers believed that Brendon was either abusing the pills or selling them, and either using his brother’s ID or a fake ID to procure more. Brendon eventually provided his actual name and corresponding Social Security number and was arrested and booked at Vigo County Jail.
He was released later that day, according to online jail records.
When Nicholas Brendon walks off a show, he apparently does it rather politely.
The actor has had a spate of legal woes and challenges, including arrests and a 2015 split with his wife after only five months of marriage. He has previously been arrested for grand theft, resisting arrest, battery against a peace officer and criminal mischief, racking up rap sheets in California, Idaho, Florida and New York. He famously walked off “Dr. Phil” in 2015 and said he’d been battling depression and substance-abuse issues.
Last year, he struck a plea deal after allegedly attacking his girlfriend at a Palm Springs hotel in 2017. Brendon agreed to serve three years probation and complete a 52-week domestic violence course, along with 20 hours of community service as part of the deal, according to the Desert Sun. The felony charge of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse was reduced to misdemeanor domestic battery.
His next court date in Indiana is set for Dec. 12.
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