Actor Dustin Diamond pleads not guilty in stabbing case in Wisconsin

[January 23, 2015]  By Brendan O'Brien

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - Actor Dustin Diamond, who played the nerdy Screech on the early '90s sitcom "Saved by the Bell," pleaded not guilty on Thursday to charges related to the stabbing of a man during a Christmas bar fight, according to court records in Wisconsin.

Diamond, 38, is charged with recklessly endangering safety, carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct in the Dec. 25 incident, Ozaukee County Circuit Court records showed.

"Dustin continues to believe the legal process will exonerate him and he is undaunted by the work that lies ahead," Diamond's attorney, Thomas Alberti, said after the hearing.

Diamond's fiancée, Amanda Schultz, 27, also pleaded not guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct.

The criminal complaint alleges that Schultz pushed a woman who was harassing her and Diamond on Christmas night at the Grand Avenue Saloon in Port Washington, Wisconsin, north of Milwaukee.

In a fight that ensued, Diamond stabbed a man with a switchblade, causing a wound that was not life-threatening, according to the complaint and to the police.

Diamond, who lives in Port Washington, played socially awkward but brainy student Samuel "Screech" Powers, memorable for his dark and wiry hair, in "Saved by the Bell," which ran from 1989 to 1993.

Since then, he has had a number of smaller television roles and has made appearances on reality programs and game shows.

The next court date for Schultz and Diamond is Feb. 19.

(Editing by Fiona Ortiz and Doina Chiacu)

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