Former Nickelodeon actor Chris O'Neal was arrested Monday in Malibu on a felony charge connected to a reported home burglary, according to law enforcement. Deputies detained multiple people at the scene, and investigators say items were taken from the property.
According to the New York Daily News, O'Neal, 31, was booked at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Lost Hills station at about 9:30 a.m. on Monday and, per online records, was released shortly before 3:30 p.m. the following day. The outlet reports that deputies first responded in the pre-dawn hours to a call about intruders in the Malibu area.
Career and public profile
O'Neal rose to attention on Nickelodeon's How to Rock and has appeared on other TV projects, a résumé summarized on Wikipedia. He is from Teaneck, New Jersey, and has been working in television since the early 2010s.
What the charge covers
Under California Penal Code 459, burglary is defined as entering a dwelling with the intent to commit theft or another felony, and it is generally prosecuted as a felony offense. Penalties and next steps will depend on how prosecutors decide to charge the case and what investigators uncover as the probe continues.
Investigation and next steps
The New York Daily News reports that multiple people were detained and that officials told reporters O'Neal was not armed when he was taken into custody. The same reporting cites accounts alleging the suspects entered through the back of the home and tampered with security cameras. Detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department are continuing the investigation and have not yet announced whether additional charges will be filed.
There was no immediate court date listed in public records, and the investigation remains active. O'Neal is presumed innocent unless and until prosecutors file charges and a court determines otherwise.
