News broke Tuesday that longtime “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton had been suspended by Sony Pictures TV amid an investigation into an alleged incident that occurred on a plane.
While the incident led to police meeting Thornton at his gate upon landing, the game show announcer’s lawyer told TMZ Wednesday he “did not engage in any illegal conduct, was not arrested and has not been charged with any crime.”
“When questioned about the complaint made by a fellow passenger on the flight, law enforcement spoke to him for five minutes or less, immediately determined that no wrongdoing had occurred and told my client he was free to go,” the attorney continued.
TheWrap was not able to reach Thornton’s attorney for comment.
Sony Pictures did not provide details of the incident which led to Thornton’s suspension from the long-running game show, which he started on as a guest announcer in 2010 and has worked on full-time since June 2011. He took over for longtime announcer Charlie O’Donnell, who died in November 2010. Thornton also serves as an announcer on “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
“We have recently been made aware of allegations concerning Jim Thornton,” a Sony Pictures TV spokesperson said in a statement. “He has been suspended from ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and we are recasting while we conduct a thorough investigation.”
TMZ first reported Tuesday that Thornton was involved in an incident on a commercial flight in May that prompted a passenger to alert a flight attendant, escalating to the pilot calling ahead to the police on the ground. Thornton was reportedly wearing a “Wheel of Fortune” jacket at the time.
“On May 14, American Airlines Flight 1276 was met by law enforcement upon arrival at Los Angeles International Airport following concerns reported by a customer onboard,” American Airlines said in a statement to media at the time of the initial report.
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