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Last night, one of the media vans camped outside Tarzana rental of actor Stephen Collins reported to police that there was a loud popping noise coming from within the home. LAPD officers swarmed the house, and there were rumors flying that the "7th Heaven" actor had taken his own life after a tape of him confessing to molesting girls went public.
A neighbor Donna D'Errico, an actress best known for her role on "Baywatch," tweeted out that he had commit suicide. It turned out to be nothing after all. Collins wasn't home, and there wasn't any evidence of gunfire. Police located Collins and he was safe and sound (though without a lot of prospects on the horizon).
"We ultimately were able to verify that Mr. Collins was not home and is alive and well," LAPD Lt. Robert Davis told the Los Angeles Times. "We made contact with him."
D'Errico tweeted out a mea culpa:
The LAPD said it is looking into the Collins case. In 2012, allegations surfaced that he had molested a young girl, but the department said that no crime report was ever made and no victim had been verified. LAPD spokesman Andrew Smith said, "The case here has not been reopened, we are merely reviewing the case for accuracy."
You would hope they're taking a closer look: On the TMZ tape, Collins admits to molesting a neighbor in Los Angeles.
