Renowned for his portrayal of Bubbles in the hit series Trailer Park Boys, actor Mike Smith finds himself facing serious legal allegations. Reports have surfaced that Smith, aged 54, is charged with sexual assault in his native Canada.

The incident in question reportedly occurred in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, on December 30, 2017. According to CBC News, Smith was officially charged on October 2 in Halifax. As part of the legal proceedings, he has been instructed to refrain from any contact with the alleged victim and is barred from visiting their school, workplace, or residence.

Efforts by Us Weekly to obtain a comment from Smith or his representatives have yet to yield a response. Meanwhile, the organization behind Trailer Park Boys has issued a statement acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

The statement confirmed that Smith has “stepped away” from his responsibilities as managing director of Trailer Park Boys Inc., the production company behind the popular show. “We are aware of the allegation concerning Mike Smith dating back to 2017 and take such matters seriously,” the company declared. They emphasized the sensitivity required in handling such allegations and expressed their commitment to respecting the legal process, opting not to provide further commentary on the ongoing case.

“We are aware of the allegation concerning Mike Smith dating back to 2017 and take such matters seriously,” a Trailer Park Boys Inc. statement read. “We recognize how difficult an allegation of this nature is for all involved. Out of respect for the legal process, we will not comment further on the case.”

Smith played Bubbles in more than 100 episodes of Trailer Park Boys since its premiere in April 2001, in addition to reprising his role in four feature-length spinoff movies and Netflix’s Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series. (The original Trailer Parker Boys show was itself a spinoff of filmmaker Mike Clattenburg’s short films.)

In April, Deadline reported that Smith and other veteran Trailer Park Boys cast members were reuniting to make season 13 after a 7-year hiatus. Despite Smith’s legal trouble, a Trailer Park Boys Inc. representative told CBC News that the production team were still “focused on delivering the long-awaited 13th season for our fans.”

Smith was previously arrested in Los Angeles in April 2016 on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery and released several hours later after posting $20,000 bail. He was accused of pinning a female friend, Georgia Ling, against a wall during an argument.

Smith strenuously denied the allegations, saying in a statement at the time: “Georgia is a friend of mine and we had a loud and heated dispute. That is all. At no time did I assault her. I am not guilty of the misdemeanour charged against me.”

In the aftermath of his arrest, Smith’s longtime costar Lucy DeCoutere announced that she was quitting her Trailer Park Boys role. (DeCoutere had been part of the sitcom’s ensemble cast since 2001, playing a character also named Lucy.

“If I find out that somebody is abusive, I cut them out of my life. It’s very easy,” DeCoutere, 55, tweeted in April 2016. “I have resigned from Trailer Park Boys.” (She later said there were “no bad feelings” between her and the Trailer Park Boys cast.)

Ling, the alleged victim in the case, released a statement in April 2016 to deny that there had been any abuse.

“​​Mike and I did indeed have a heavy argument but it saddens me the way things are being reported and the way it was handled by the police,” she said. “At no point did I feel I was in danger, otherwise I would’ve called the police myself, which I did not. The police were called by others not present in the room who mistakenly perceived the argument to be something other than what it was. When the officers arrived I tried to assure them there was no real issue, but they proceeded to arrest Mike.”

Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office spokesperson Frank Mateljan confirmed to CBC News in May 2016 that no charges would be pursued “due to [ad] lack of sufficient evidence.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).