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Brian Bonsall on How Police Responded to Serial Rapist Impersonator | In Touch Weekly

Published 2 months ago3 minute read

Brian Bonsall on How Police Responded to Serial Rapist Impersonator

Investigation Discovery

Former child actor says he struggled to find support from police when a serial rapist used his identity to lure victims.

The Family Ties alum, 43, recalled how he learned about his impersonator and how authorities reacted to his report in a clip from Investigation Discovery’s Hollywood Demons exclusively shared with In Touch ahead of the new episode on Monday, March 31.

“It started escalating a lot. I started to hear more stories. A friend of mine was working at Coyote Ugly, and she said her friend that works there dated him too,” Brian said in the clip. “And that she was locked in a room and forced to watch porn while he did heroin.”

Addiction specialist added, “It seemed that someone had adopted Brian’s identity. He presents himself as the former child star from Family Ties, and he actually gets tattoos identical to Brian’s in order to start his reign of terror on women.”

Brian said he was “trying to figure out” the true identity of his impersonator and went to the police department in Boulder, Colorado, to file a report. However, he said that the officer he spoke to did not seem to be concerned about the situation.

“He was like, ‘It is not illegal to tell somebody you’re someone else to have sex with them.’ That’s what he said, straight up. Literally, the response I got was, ‘Why don’t you go handle this yourself?’” the musician said.

The man was ultimately identified as , who, in 2019, was convicted of raping seven women over a 12-year period. He was found guilty on 12 counts of sexual assault, five counts of kidnapping, three counts of stalking and one count of attempted sexual assault for incidents between 2003 and 2015.

Brian Bonsall on How Police Responded to Serial Rapist Impersonator

Investigation Discovery

Brian rose to fame for playing youngest Keaton child Andrew “Andy” Keaton in the NBC sitcom Family Ties from 1986 to 1989. He continued to appear in other projects, including his film debut in the 1992 horror flick Mickey, until 1995, when he retired from acting and moved to Boulder with his mother and stepfather.

After leaving Hollywood, Brian struggled with alcoholism and was arrested multiple times, including a 2004 DUI arrest that landed him in jail for a few nights — where he met Loebe.

“I remember his crazy eyes,” Brian said elsewhere in the episode, per People. “I met him in 2004 in jail when I was in there for my second DUI and was there for a couple or a few nights or whatever, and I guess he just got really obsessed with me right off the bat.”

Hollywood Demons “reveals dark realities behind fame’s glittering facade from cursed dynasties like the Von Erichs to fallen icons like , plus troubled shows like Power Rangers and Real Housewives,” according to the show’s synopsis.

In episode 2 of the docuseries, titled “Child Stars Gone Violent,” viewers will see Brian and The Hughleys alum explore the dark side of life after child stardom.

“In the golden era of ’90s family-friendly TV, child actors weren’t just stars — they were America’s sweethearts. But for some, the transition out of the spotlight dragged them down a path of crime, addiction, and violence,” the synopsis reads. “Former child actors Brian Bonsall (Family Ties) and Dee Jay Daniels (The Hughleys) unpack the harsh reality of life after fame, while producers from Home Improvement and That’s So Raven reveal their brush with young stars who ended up behind bars.”

“Child Stars Gone Violent” premieres on Monday, March 31, from 9 to 11 p.m. ET on Investigation Discovery and streams on Max.

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