Actor Jeremy London’s Accused Kidnapper Accepts Plea Deal

A man accused of kidnapping and robbing actor Jeremy London in Palm Springs is free today after nearly nine months in jail.

Brandon Adams, 27, pleaded guilty Wednesday to lesser charges of felony false imprisonment and a misdemeanor count of unlawful taking of a vehicle, and the actor said the plea proves he was telling the truth about being abducted.

Adams was immediately sentenced to 16 months in prison, but factoring in time he has already served and other credits, he was released from a Banning jail later Wednesday, according to court records.

“I’m just glad he is coming home,” said Adams’ fiancee, who attended Wednesday’s court appearance.

The 38-year-old London, known for his roles in the television dramas “Party of Five” and “7th Heaven,” claimed Adams kidnapped him last June and, along with two others, forced him to buy drugs and alcohol at gunpoint.

Adams, however, countered that London — a recovering addict — willingly went on a joy ride with him and his friends. The actor’s twin brother and other family members publicly expressed doubts about London’s story.

London said, however, that Adams’ plea legitimized his story.

“Innocent people don’t plead guilty,” London told City News Service on Wednesday. “There is no longer any doubt. Everything I’ve said from day one is the truth and today, I believe, reveals that.

“… I am very happy that I’ve been vindicated,” he said.

Adams had been charged with carjacking, kidnapping, robbery, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent and receiving stolen property. He was scheduled to go on trial at the end of the month.

Prosecutors allowed Adams the opportunity for the plea agreement because he was determined to be the “aider and abettor” and not the direct perpetrator.

“Brandon Adams wasn’t the individual who put the gun to Jeremy London’s head,” Deputy District Attorney Jake Silva said. “(The plea) accurately reflected his involvement in the crime.”

Compared with with the charges that he faced, the felony and misdemeanor to which Adams pleaded guilty involved a lesser degree of force and duress.

Silva said the case is still open as law enforcement looks for the two men London testified took part in the kidnapping and robbery, including the gunman — named “Little N.” No arrests have been made and authorities have not released the suspect’s names.

During a preliminary hearing in October, London, who lives in Los Angeles, said he was in Palm Springs on June 10 to visit his estranged wife and son, and that his day began to go awry when he got a flat tire.

He said he and his wife had both taken Ambien, a prescription sleep aid, and were on their way to the Palm Court Inn, where they planned to take a nap, when the Ford Focus became disabled near a convenience store.

He said Adams and another man, who turned out to be the defendant’s uncle, offered to help him fix the flat tire.

London testified that he agreed to give the men a ride home.

He said he left his wife at her Palm Springs home and dropped off the uncle, but Adams stayed in the car, taking him on a “goose chase” through Palm Springs until two others — an unidentified teen and the man known as “Little N” — got into the car.

“We just weren’t getting to a location. I was starting to shake, getting scared,” he said.

The actor said he was told to pull into the driveway of a seemingly abandoned home, where Little N pulled out a gun and robbed him of $200 from his wallet and $600 he had in an envelope.

He said the men threatened to kill him, his wife and son.

Little N “told me to get in the trunk,” London testified. “I said, `I can buy you guys things on my credit card.”’

London said he made the offer because “I didn’t want to get in the trunk … There was a gun to my head. I thought I was never going to see my son again.”

The actor said they went to a liquor store and he bought them alcohol, before heading to a street party, where they handed out the booze through the car’s windows.

Later, the men used London’s money to buy drugs, and he said he was forced to take Ecstasy.

The actor said he took the pill because he was scared. Throughout the night, he also swallowed an unknown pill and smoked a substance through a glass pipe, he said.

London said he escaped several hours later when he got word to a woman that he needed help.

London said he entered drug rehab in September 2009 because he had a problem with painkillers. He also said he accepted $40,000 to take part in the reality show “Celebrity Rehab,” which aired from December to January.

Under cross-examination by defense attorney Greg Geist, London denied asking Adams and his uncle for drugs after they helped him change the tire.

Prosecutors introduced at the preliminary hearing a copy of a statement given to police by Adams, in which he admitted some sort of abduction occurred. Adams later changed his story when speaking to the media, Silva said.

London said Wednesday “the toughest battle through all of this” was that his family challenged his account. He said he had no plans to speak with his brother or anyone else who doubted him unless they apologized publicly.

“I obviously got to see some people’s true colors and it hurts,” London said. “I would never do that to my family. I hope they can live with themselves when they look in the mirror.”

Geist declined to comment on the case following the plea agreement.

London said he was glad the case was over.

“My family and I have suffered incredible amounts of pain and it is the beginning of some type of closure,” he said. “I do think that Brandon Adams deserved to be prosecuted in some form.”

London’s attorney, Catherine Lombardo, said she has not discussed with her client the possibility of a lawsuit.

“There is absolutely no doubt (London’s story is true),” she said.