LA police revisit 2012 criminal case against '7th Heaven' star

[October 08, 2014]  By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Media reports that actor Stephen Collins had admitted to sexual misconduct with underage girls have prompted a new look at allegations of criminal behavior made in 2012 against the star of the popular television show "7th Heaven," Los Angeles police said on Tuesday.

Collins, 67, who played a well-meaning pastor in the family-friendly TV series, was dropped on Tuesday from the upcoming Universal Pictures comedy "Ted 2," a source with knowledge of the film production told Reuters, after the allegations broke.

Collins also resigned on Tuesday from his position on the national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild, the union said.

Cable network UP TV, which hosts reruns of "7th Heaven," also said it is removing the show from its schedule in light of what it described as "disturbing allegations surrounding Collins."

Los Angeles police spokeswoman Officer Nuria Vanegas said police were reviewing a 2012 case against Collins, although a crime report was never made at the time.

"We are reviewing the investigation to make sure nothing was missed at the time," Vanegas told Reuters, saying the Los Angeles police were working with the New York Police Department. "The case is not reopened, but we are reviewing again for accuracy."

No further details were available.

Celebrity news outlet TMZ released an audio tape on Tuesday that it said revealed Collins admitting during a therapy session that he had exposed himself and molested underage girls.

Collin's estranged wife, Faye Grant, said in a statement on Tuesday that she was not involved in the release of the tape.

"I woke up today to learn that an extremely private recording I handed over to the authorities in 2012 per their request in connection with a criminal investigation was recently disseminated to the press," Grant said.

Collins played a father of seven in the 1996-2007 TV series. His representatives did not respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Patricia Reaney, David Gregorio and Cynthia Osterman)

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