Dustin Diamond, perhaps better known as the character Screech on the old tv show Saved by the Bell, has had a multitude of problems in recent years. This avalanche of trouble was topped off on Friday when Diamond allegedly stabbed a man in a bar. Diamond is now in jail, charged with disorderly conduct, recklessly endangering safety and carrying a concealed weapon. Diamond claims he “accidentally” stabbed the man in self-defense. Oh, Screech, what went wrong?
Celebrities, especially child celebrities such as Diamond, seem to have an exorbitant number of run-ins with the law. They also appear to battle with drugs and alcohol more often than do most people. Diamond fits into this destructive pattern, it seems, but not so much as it relates to drug abuse. His problems are mostly financial. In 2000, he declared bankruptcy even though he had previously earned $2 million while playing Screech. He blamed the loss of money on his own parents, accusing them of improperly handling his finances although he was an adult for much of the time he was making the income, reports Washed Up Celebrities.
In the last ten years, Diamond has faced eviction from his home for non-payment of bills, and even went online begging people to help him save his house. He is alleged to have been involved in a scam in which he took money for tee-shirts but then never delivered the items to the buyers. He also has a host of other money woes.
According to the website Washed Up Celebrities, Diamond is hated by many people, including recent co-stars on the show Celebrity Fit Club. During the filming of that show, Diamond is alleged to have threatened to sexually assault singer Kimberly Locke. He denies this accusation.
In the most recent incident, Diamond says he was just swinging his arms and did not intend to stab the man in the bar. Accounts vary, but there are reports that the fight began when Diamond refused to shake a woman’s hand and she got angry. A brawl then broke out between numerous people. At one point, he says, two men were holding Diamond’s girlfriend by the hair and that is when the fight escalated. The man was not seriously injured but was stabbed in the armpit.
During his interview with police, Diamond referred to his knife as a “pen” and corrected himself several times by first saying the item was a knife but then saying it was a pen. He admitted later that it was indeed a knife when police found the weapon. Oh, Screech, what went wrong? It seems Dustin Diamond’s problems keep escalating. He is now being held in jail pending a $10,000 bail payment.
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