MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Former "Saved by the Bell" star Dustin Diamond tested positive for a painkiller last month in violation of his probation conditions, according to records the Wisconsin Department of Corrections released Friday.
Diamond was convicted in Wisconsin last year on charges he stabbed a man during a barroom brawl in Port Washington, just north of Milwaukee, in 2014. He was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He was released in April and placed on probation with conditions that he maintain absolute sobriety and not use any controlled substances or prescription medication without a doctor's permission.
He was arrested on May 25 and spent two days in the Ozaukee County Jail for what corrections officials would describe only as a probation violation. Records the DOC released Friday show Diamond took a urine test in his probation agent's office the day he was arrested and it came back positive for oxycodone.
His probation agent wrote in her report that when she confronted Diamond about the test he initially denied using any drugs or alcohol but then said he may have taken a pill for a toothache two days before the test.
He said he thought the pill was from an old prescription and didn't know what it was, according to the agent's report. Diamond said there were no pills left, he had thrown the bottle away and he hadn't seen a doctor for pain medication since he was released from jail, the report said.
The probation agent wrote that Diamond lied about the use of a narcotic drug and didn't follow its prescription.
Diamond's attorney in the stabbing case, Daniel Fay, said he no longer represents Diamond and doesn't know anything about the probation violation.
The 39-year-old Diamond played Screech on "Saved by the Bell," a popular 1990s television show about a group of California high school students.
According to the DOC records, he told his probation agent he's been pursuing stints as a stand-up comedian. Corrections officials granted him permission in May to travel to Los Angeles to film an interview with the television news magazine "Extra." Mario Lopez, who co-starred with Diamond on "Saved by the Bell" as Slater, hosts the show.
Diamond's agent later chastised him for his remarks during the "Extra" interview, saying he downplayed his crime, took no responsibility for it and showed no empathy for the victim. Diamond replied to the agent that he didn't watch the interview to see how it was edited and he does take responsibility for the offense, saying it was a series of mistakes that night.
