Police on Friday charged a 78-year-old Malibu, California, man identified as Gary Busey with three counts of sex crimes that they said took place during a Monster-Mania convention in a hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, earlier this month, authorities said in a news release.
Police in Cherry Hill were not available to answer questions on Saturday, but the actor Gary Busy, who is 78 and lives in Malibu, attended the fan event, according to photographs of him there and postings about his attendance on social media.
The news release said the suspect had been charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, a single count of fourth-degree attempted sexual assault and a single count of harassment.
The brief news release from the department provided no details of the alleged crime, beyond saying it took place at the Doubletree Hotel on Route 70 in the township during the convention held from Aug. 12 to Aug. 14.
A spokesman for the Camden County prosecutor’s office, Donna Weaver, she would not answer any questions about the arrest. “We’re not commenting,” she said.
A spokesman for Busey could not be reached for comment Saturday; neither could the event’s promoter.
Busey, 78, is best known for playing the late musician Buddy Holly in the 1978 film “The Buddy Holly Story,” a performance that earned him an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
He has never achieved the level of stardom promised by that nomination, but has appeared in numerous movies, including several horror films, such a 1985 adaption of a Stephen King werewolf story, “Silver Bullet.”
In 1966, the Texas-born Busey left Tulsa, Oklahoma, to make it as a rock drummer in Los Angeles. His band, Carp, was signed to Epic Records, and when the band broke up, Busey began auditioning for television and film roles, according to his website. 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 also appears in such movies at “Point Break,” “Under Siege,” “The Firm,” “Predator 2″ and “Slap Shot 2.”
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(Inquirer staff writer Chris Brennan contributed to this article.)
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