Actor Ray Buffer charged with petty theft after allegedly stealing comic books in San Diego

Actor Ray Buffer has been charged with one misdemeanor count of petty theft after allegedly stealing comic books from a San Diego store, the San Diego City Attorney’s Office confirmed Thursday to the Los Angeles Times.

Buffer — who has appeared in series such as “CSI: Miami,” “The West Wing,” “ER” and “Into the Wild Frontier” — is scheduled for a readiness conference in San Diego County Superior Court on Feb. 28 after pleading not guilty at his arraignment on Jan. 18, according to the city attorney’s office.

Southern California Comics has accused Buffer of lifting $854 worth of comic books from its San Diego location. In an email to The Times, Southern California Comics owner Jamie Newbold claimed that Buffer “hit a lot of shops including [Southern California Comics] before he was caught.”

Security camera footage obtained by TMZ shows Buffer stuffing comic books under his clothes inside Southern California Comics. In another surveillance video from a comic-book shop in L.A. County, a staff member tells Buffer to “leave the store immediately” after he conceals comic books underneath his clothes.

Newbold told The Times that Buffer’s attorney “is attempting to settle what’s called a diversion,” which “would let Buffer off the hook by paying restitution for the one recorded crime” at Southern California Comics. However, the comic-book vendor believes that his shop and others “will not see full restitution until Buffer is put in front of a judge.”

“We have petitioned the city attorney to refuse diversion and let us face Buffer in court,” Newbold added. “Meanwhile, Buffer has returned to his web site and social networks as though he can escape this ‘interruption in his life.’”

Originally from Florida, Buffer has long been a presence in Southern California’s entertainment and arts community. He was previously the general manager of Long Beach Opera before launching his own theater company in San Pedro, according to his website.

Buffer, whose full name is Raymond Ernest Buffer Jr., did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ request for comment.