Prosecutors are weighing charges against former child star Jonathan Taylor Thomas following an arrest that ended with the "Home Improvement" actor booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station. According to a sheriff's statement reported by Entertainment Weekly, deputies conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Thomas - identified in the statement as Jonathan Weiss - was a passenger.
During the stop, deputies were conducting a driving-under-the-influence investigation of the driver. The statement said that while field sobriety tests were being performed, the passenger "appeared intoxicated, continually exited the vehicle and approached the deputies, distracting them from their investigation." As deputies attempted to detain the former actor for obstruction and public intoxication, he allegedly "kicked a deputy in the stomach."
Thomas was then "arrested, transported, and booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station on the aforementioned charges." The driver of the vehicle was arrested separately for driving under the influence of alcohol. Officials said the case would be submitted to the district attorney's office, which will decide whether to file formal charges.
Thomas, now in his mid-40s, is perhaps best known for his run on "Home Improvement" as Randy Taylor, the middle son of Tim Allen's character. He also voiced young Simba in Disney's 1994 animated classic "The Lion King," making him one of the most recognizable child stars of the 1990s. He largely stepped away from acting after "Home Improvement" wrapped in 1999, with his last credited acting role being a guest stint on four episodes of "Last Man Standing" from 2013 to 2015, which reunited him with Allen.
The arrest marks a rare public controversy for a former star who has spent decades deliberately avoiding the spotlight. Unlike many child actors whose adult lives played out in tabloids, Thomas built a reputation for privacy, attending Harvard and Columbia and declining most reunion and reboot overtures.
The district attorney's decision will determine whether the incident becomes a formal criminal case or ends at the arrest stage. Obstruction and public intoxication charges are typically misdemeanors, but an allegation of kicking a deputy could complicate the picture depending on how prosecutors characterize the conduct. Neither Thomas nor a representative has issued a public statement about the arrest.
The district attorney's office will now review the sheriff's report to decide whether the facts support filing charges. Obstruction and public intoxication are typically charged as misdemeanors, and prosecutors routinely decline or reduce such cases when the underlying conduct is minor - though an allegation of kicking a deputy gives the office reason to look harder. If charges are filed, Thomas would face arraignment in Los Angeles County Superior Court; if declined, the arrest would remain on his record but the matter would end there. For a former star who spent a quarter-century successfully avoiding the tabloid machinery, the outcome of that quiet prosecutorial review will determine whether this incident becomes a footnote or a turning point.