PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. -- Jail time is on hold for former "Saved by the Bell" actor Dustin Diamond while he appeals his sentence for an altercation at a bar in Wisconsin.

Diamond was supposed to begin serving a four-month sentence last weekend at county jail north of Milwaukee. On Thursday, a judge in Ozaukee County Circuit Court stayed Diamond's sentence pending his appeal.

Diamond's attorney, Thomas Alberti, says it could take as long as two years for the case to be considered, depending on the appellate docket.

The 38-year-old Diamond played Screech on the popular 1990s TV show.

Diamond was recently convicted of carrying a concealed weapon and disorderly conduct, but was cleared on a felony charge. Diamond testified he was trying to protect his girlfriend when he pulled out a pocketknife at the Port Washington bar last Christmas Day.