LOS ANGELES - Fred Willard will be allowed to enrol in counselling courses to resolve a lewd conduct arrest that cost the actor a television job.
The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office determined Friday that Willard's case was eligible for a diversion program that will keep him from being formally charged with lewd conduct if he completes the required courses, spokesman Frank Mateljan said.
Willard, best-known as the announcer in the film "Best in Show," was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of committing a lewd act. He was taken into custody by police doing a routine check at a Hollywood adult theatre.
Hours later he was fired as the narrator of "Market Warriors," a show produced by Boston public television station WGBH.
The actor will pay $380 for the diversion program, which is run by a private vendor and may include sessions on decision-making and sex-related crimes. Mateljan said the program will determine which components Willard has to complete. The decision was first reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Mateljan said the case against Willard is viable, and the actor could still be charged if he does not complete the diversion program.
