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Gary Busey charged with sex offenses at Monster Mania Convention in New Jersey

Busey, 78, was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment.
Gary Busey
Gary Busey in New York in 2019.Walter McBride / Getty Images

Actor Gary Busey was charged with sexual offenses stemming from incidents that happened at the Monster Mania Convention in New Jersey, police said Saturday.

Busey, 78, was charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment, according to Cherry Hill police.

Officers were called to the Doubletree Hotel, where the convention was held Aug. 12 through Aug. 14 "for the report of a sex offense," a Facebook statement reads.

As a result of the investigation, Busey was charged Friday. It's not clear if he has an attorney to comment on the charges, and NBC News could not immediately reach his representatives.

The Monster Mania Convention is an event celebrating horror film and memorabilia. Busey was scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event, The Associated Press reported.

Monster-Mania said in a post that it was assisting authorities in their investigation of the allegations.

"Immediately upon receiving a complaint from the attendees, the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return," the post stated. "Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report."

Busey's acting career flourished in the 1970s ("The Buddy Holly Story," which earned him an Academy Award nomination, "Big Wednesday") and 1980s ("Lethal Weapon," "48 Hours"). His performances in the '90s ("Point Break," "Under Siege") proved he had staying power.

He sustained severe cranial damage in a 1988 motorcycle accident but recovered.

In 2012, Busey filed for bankruptcy protection. Court documents cited as a potential liability money he may have owed a woman who alleged he attacked her at a Tulsa airport the year before.

In a 2018 NBC News THINK piece, the actor said a prospective manager in the 1970s introduced him to cocaine, which helped send him on a journey of drug dependence.

Busey appears to have some self-awareness about his struggles with substance abuse. In the TV show "American Dad," he performed his own voice for his character's appearance, which portrayed the actor as alcohol-dependent.After he overdosed on cocaine in 1995, Busey told NBC News THINK that he stopped doing the drug and had "25 years of sobriety" from cocaine.