The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office has declined to file a criminal case against “Charles in Charge” actor Scott Baio in connection with sexual abuse allegations made by former co-star Nicole Eggert, saying they are beyond the statute of limitations.

Prosecutors did not assess the merits of Eggert’s allegations against Baio, 57. Instead, they noted that the alleged incidents occurred in the 1980s, which is outside of the length of time a child sex abuse case can be pursued. California eliminated the statute of limitations last year on such crimes, but that change is not retroactive.

Eggert, now 46, has publicly accused Baio of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor during the time the two appeared together on the popular TV show, which ran from 1984 to 1990. She reported her allegations to Los Angeles police in February.

She is not named in the prosecutors’ memo, but the victim in the paperwork alleged she was sexually assaulted on four occasions from 1986, when she was 16, to 1989.


Baio has repeatedly denied the allegations and suggested his former co-star is seeking publicity. He has said he had a consensual sexual relationship with Eggert, but that it did not occur until she was 18 or 19.

Eggert took to Twitter after the decision by prosecutors was made public Tuesday, saying that the filing was rejected solely on the statute of limitations.

Baio has used social media to repeatedly deny Eggert’s accusations, noting that she said he had molested her at his home in his garage, but that he owned neither at the time of the alleged incidents.

richard.winton@latimes.com


Twitter: @lacrimes