PALM SPRINGS (CNS) - Actor Nicholas Brendon, best known for his work on TV's “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” was charged with one felony count of domestic violence today stemming from an alleged attack on his girlfriend at a Palm Springs hotel.
Brendon, 48, was with his girlfriend in the bar of a hotel in the 180 block of East Palm Canyon Drive on Oct. 17, 2017, when the pair got into an argument and he allegedly pulled her arm and “violently” pulled her by her hair, Palm Springs police Sgt. William Hutchinson said.
On Monday, Brendon was charged with one felony count of corporal injury to a spouse stemming from the alleged attack, according to Riverside County District Attorney's Office spokesman John Hall. If convicted, Brendon could face up to four years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, the alleged attack resulted in “a traumatic condition upon Jane Doe.”
Law enforcement were alerted to the suspected altercation by hotel employees, and Brendon was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony domestic violence and violating an active protective order. The order, which Hutchinson said was issued in another state, allowed him to be near the woman, but prohibited him from harassing, threatening, injuring or assaulting her, the sergeant said.
Brendon was booked into the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning and was released on $50,000 bail the following day, jail records show.
The alleged 2017 attack was not Brendon's first brush with the law. He has prior arrests for grand theft, resisting arrest, battery against a peace officer and vandalism in Los Angeles; Boise, Idaho; and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to his IMDB.com biography, he appeared twice on the “Dr. Phil” show to discuss his battle with alcoholism.
Brendon portrayed Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” during the entirety of its seven-season run, which ended in 2003, and as Kevin Lynch on “Criminal Minds” from 2007 to 2014.