Jeffrey Jones--forever known to Gen-Xers as vengeful principal Ed Rooney out to bust Matthew Broderick for skipping school in John Hughes' 1986 teen classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off--has been busted on child-pornography charges.
Police in Hollywood took the 55-year-old actor into custody after an unidentified teenager told authorities last November that Jones used him for "alleged criminal acts of a sexual nature," said LAPD spokesman Don Cox.
Following an "extensive investigation" by the LAPD's Sexually Exploited Child Unit and the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office, a warrant was issued Wednesday for Jones' arrest under California Penal Code 311.4C--suspicion of "employment of a minor in sale or distribution of obscene matter or production of pornography."
Jones surrendered to police Thursday and was booked on a felony charge of "using a minor for prohibitive acts" and possessing child pornography, a misdemeanor. He was released after posting a $20,000 bond.
A search of the actor's Hollywood home turned up "numerous items of evidence," said Cox.
Among those items were sexually explicit snapshots featuring a 14-year-old boy. Jones allegedly paid the minor to pose for the photos.
Authorities also confirmed that the search warrant served on Jones was connected to a probe into allegations of child pornography against Paul Reubens by an unidentified accuser.
Police ended up raiding the erstwhile Pee-wee Herman's Hollywood Hills home last November in the presence of the actor's attorney and confiscated a large erotic art collection and personal computers, but did not find any kiddie porn.
Reubens, a friend of Jones, claimed through his rep at the time that he was the victim of a financially motivated smear campaign.
There was no such defense from Jones' attorney, who instead noted that the arrest did not involve molestation of any sort.
"This is all about photos. There's not allegations of any touching or any improper acts with a minor," Jones' attorney, Jeff Brodey, told the Times. "This will be resolved very quickly so he can get on with his life and get back to work."
Adding that his client has been cooperating fully with authorities, Brodey said Jones "is a very decent guy, and his life shouldn't be ruined."
Jones is one of Tinseltown's most recognizable character actors. Aside from his Bueller duties, he played Winona Ryder's father in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Emperor Joseph the II in Milos Forman's Oscar-winning Amadeus. He also appeared in later Burton productions like Ed Wood and, most recently, Sleepy Hollow.
Other credits include George Lucas' turkey Howard the Duck, Who's Harry Crumb?, The Hunt for Red October, The Crucible, Devil's Advocate, Stuart Little and last year's Dr. Dolittle 2 and Heartbreakers.
Jones is scheduled to be arraigned on November 21.