NEED TO KNOW
- High School Musical 3 actor Matt Prokop was arrested and taken into custody at the Victoria County Jail on Dec. 24, an employee at the facility tells PEOPLE
- The actor was charged with four misdemeanor charges and two felonies
- He was charged with aggravated assault of a family member with a weapon and second-degree felony possession of child pornography, among other charges
Former child actor Matt Prokop has been arrested on multiple charges, including possession of child pornography.
Prokop, 35, was arrested and taken into custody on Dec. 24 in Victoria County, Texas, an employee at the Victoria County Jail tells PEOPLE. TMZ was the first to report the news.
Prokop faces four misdemeanor charges, including one count of a violation of bond — protective order, one count of evading arrest or detention and two counts of resisting arrest, search or transportation.
The Disney star also faces one charge of second-degree felony possession of child pornography. He is currently housed in the Victoria County Sheriff’s Office Jail. It remains unclear when he will appear in court.
Prokop’s arrest follows allegations of abuse from his ex-girlfriend, Sarah Hyland, who accused Prokop of verbal and physical abuse during their five-year relationship. She claimed that in May 2014, he allegedly slammed her into a vehicle and choked her during an argument, according to court filings previously obtained by PEOPLE.
Then, in August 2014, her Modern Family costar Julie Bowen intervened and helped Hyland end her relationship, which, per Hyland’s restraining order filing, allegedly led Prokop to threaten to kill her dog and burn down her house. The following month, Hyland secured a restraining order against him.
In the years since, she has rarely spoken about the previous relationship. “I don’t know if that part [of] any woman will ever be fully healed from that. It’s something that kind of scars her soul a little bit. It’s more so putting love towards that scar instead of hating it and ignoring it,” she told Variety in October 2024.
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If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
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