“7th Heaven” actor Stephen Collins confessed to having sexual contact with three girls 20, 32 and 40 years ago, it was reported today.
“Forty years ago, I did something terribly wrong that I deeply regret” he told People magazine. “I have been working to atone for it ever since. I’ve decided to address these issues publicly because two months ago, various news organizations published a recording made by my then-wife, Faye Grant, during a confidential marriage therapy session in January 2012.”
The allegations involved exposing himself to girls and having sexual contact with them between 1973 and 1994, according to published reports.
Police in New York and Los Angeles investigated the allegations, but no charges have been filed. Statutes of limitations restrict the prosecution of certain crimes after a passage of time. In California, most sex abuse allegations must be brought within six years, 10 years in some cases.
An interview with Collins by Katie Couric is set to air on ABC’s “20/20” Friday.
Collins, 67, played the Rev. Eric Camden in the family-oriented “7th Heaven” TV series, which ran 1996-2007.
