'Criminal Minds' Star Nicholas Brendon's Arrest and Charges: What to Know

Criminal Minds star Nicholas Brendon was previously arrested and has now been charged with [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Criminal Minds star Nicholas Brendon was previously arrested and has now been charged with domestic violence, and there are many details that fans of the actor should know.

The initial incident took place at the Saguaro hotel in Palm Springs, California, in 2017. Brendon is alleged to have assaulted his girlfriend by pulling her by the hair and arm.

"He was with his girlfriend and they got into an argument," Palm Springs Police Sgt. William Hutchinson told KESQ-TV, PEOPLE reported at the time. "During the argument at the bar, he pulled her arm and then violently pulled her by her hair."

Brendon was arrested and held overnight, then released the following day on $50,000 bail. It was also reported that the alleged victim had protective orders in place in Florida and New York that dictated Brendon was not allowed to be around her.

His formal charges at that time were for "violating a protective order and felony inflicting injury on a spouse or cohabitant."

Now, nearly two years later, Brendon has been charged with domestic violence as well. If convicted, he could be facing up to two years behind bars.

According to PEOPLE, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office has filed court documents indicating that Brendon faces one count of felony corporal injury to a spouse.

Most will be familiar with Brendon from his roles on Criminal Minds and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

On Criminal Minds, he played a character named Kevin Lynch, who was an hacker that worked with the BAU occasionally. He eventually became romantically involved with Kirsten Vangsness' character Penelope Garcia.

Prior to his time on the procedural crime series, Brendon starred on Buffy the Vampire Slayer for years, playing the role of fan-favorite character Xander Harris.

Notably, this is not the first time Brendon has had a run-in with the law. In a similar situation in 2015, the actor pleaded guilty to criminal mischief after allegedly choking his girlfriend, then smashing her cell phone and taking her car keys.

He has also been open about his struggles with substance abuse in the past, and has entered a treatment facility on at least one occasion.

At this time, neither Brendon nor any representatives for the actor appear to have commented publicly on the incident or the charges he's facing.

Photo Credit: 20th Century Fox

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