LOS ANGELES, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Paul Reubens says he is innocent of the indecent exposure charge filed against him in Florida 19 years ago that derailed his career as a child entertainer.
The Hollywood Reporter Friday quoted Reubens -- who performs under the name Pee-Wee Herman on stage, in film and on television -- as saying he had an expert witness ready to testify on his behalf that the account police gave of the circumstances of his arrest weren't accurate.
Reubens, 57, was arrested for allegedly masturbating in an adult movie theater in Sarasota.
The performer pleaded no contest, while maintaining his innocence, in an effort to avoid a salacious trial.
"Had we gone to trial, we had ready an expert from the Masters and Johnson Institute who was going to testify that in 30 years on research on masturbation the institute had never found one person who masturbated with his or her non-dominant hand," Reubens told Playboy. "I'm right-handed, and the police report said I was jerking off with my left hand. That would have been the end of the case right there, proof it couldn't have been me."
Since his arrest, Reubens has appeared in TV shows and movies. He recently started a career comeback, however, starring in a Pee-Wee stage show.
Media reports also said he is collaborating with writer-director Judd Apatow on a Pee-Wee Herman movie.
