GOOD GRIEF: (Voice of) "Peanuts" Charlie Brown in a San Diego jail, accused of stalking and terroristic threats
Maybe Lucy jerked away one too many faux footballs. Perhaps Peppermint Patty piddled away too many brain cells. Or Linus, Snoopy and the gang got snared in a web tangled by 50 years of arrested development.
For GOOD GRIEF, the voice of Charlie Brown on several "Peanuts" television specials, now languishes in a San Diego jail, after authorities arrested him 8 p.m. Sunday at the San Ysidro Port of Entry as he returned from Tijuana. A background check revealed a San Diego County Sheriff's Department warrant for his arrest.
Peter Robbins (right) — aka the voice of Charlie Brown — poses more than a decade after the mid-60s “Peanuts” classics with creator Charles Schulz and Sally Dryer, who voiced Lucy Van Pelt. (courtesy of PETER ROBBINS )
Peter Robbins, the 56-year-old voice actor best known as the voice of Charlie Brown in the 1965 classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and the 1966 sequel "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" is accused of stalking and threatening a former girlfriend as well as the plastic surgeon he paid to give her a boob job.
Robbins officially was charged Wednesday in San Diego Superior Court with two counts of stalking and 10 counts of making criminal threats. He pleaded not guilty and remained incarcerated on Friday, unable to make bail set at $550,000 by San Diego Superior Court Judge David M. Szumowski. A conviction could translate into a maximum sentence of nine years in prison, attorneys said.
What's more, the longtime Oceanside, Calif. resident and former voice of Charlie Brown, reportedly has terminal pancreatic cancer. The arrest warrant cited his "increasingly erratic behavior," adding, "he told others he has nothing to lose."
Charlie Brown may have been a bit of a slacker, to say the least, but the voice of Charlie Brown, now all growed up and out on his own, was nothing if not persistent when it came to the alleged pursuit of love. He is accused of threatening his former girlfriend with up to 37 calls to her cell phone in a 24-hour period demanding repayment for the breast augmentation surgery.
Robbins also said he would kill the ex-girlfriend, and her son, if she did not give back his dog and car. In a twist sure to pluck the heartstrings of devoted Peanuts fans, Robbins named his dog, what else, Snoopy.
The voice of Charlie Brown continued to be a clown, according to authorities, by continuing his threats during a confrontation New Year's Eve at a San Diego hotel room. In this case, he demanded, in person, a full refund for the breast augmentation surgery his former girlfriend had when they were together.
Robbins allegedly beat Snoopy, his dog, in front of her on New Year's Eve, saying he would continue beating the dog and kill her if she didn't get his money back. Prosecutors said Robbins grabbed his ex-girlfriend by the neck and shoved her to the floor before fleeing the scene.
Robbins also is accused of threatening the plastic surgeon, harassing her office with so many phone calls, she hired an armed guard for the La Jolla clinic. Prosecutors said Robbins recently bought a gun and started practicing at a shooting range.
During a jailhouse interview Friday with KFMB-TV, Channel 8 in San Diego, Robbins said he needed a mental evaluation to make sure he was OK and not a threat to himself or others. It may have been a more effective plea if the jailed former child voice actor hadn't a bunch of snot dripping down his nose throughout the interview.
And it may be a while before he gets back to his folowers on Facebook, where his page is dedicated to Peter "Charlie Brown" Robbins and recently featured a series of posts about Lance Armstrong's Oprah interview and solicitations for recipe ideas from "fans."
