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Willard Avoids Lewdness Charge After Completing Diversion Program

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Actor Fred Willard has completed a diversion program for his arrest this summer for a suspected lewd act at a Hollywood adult theater.

Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney's office, said Monday that the 72-year-old comic actor completed the program in September and as a result no longer faces charges stemming from the July 18 incident.

Willard was arrested after uniformed vice officers were conducting a routine investigation of the Tiki Theater (the 5400 block of Santa Monica Boulevard) and they said they saw him engaging in a lewd act.

He was fired shortly thereafter from his job narrating "Market Warriors," which is produced by Boston public television station WGBH. His film credits include "Best in Show," "Anchorman," "The Wedding Planner" and "Waiting for Guffman." His TV credits include "Roseanne," "Fernwood Tonight," "Everybody Loves Raymond," "King of the Hill" and "Modern Family."

An email message left for Willard's agent, Mike Eisenstadt, was not immediately returned.

The same vice unit busted "Terminator 3" actor Nick Stahl for a similar offense last Thursday.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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