Voice of Charlie Brown arrested for alleged threats, stalking

Peter Robbins looks up at the ceiling during his arraignment at the San Diego County Superior Court of Califorrnia January 23, 2013.

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - The former child actor who was the voice of Charlie Brown in the 1960s "Peanuts" animated television specials will be arraigned on Wednesday, after being arrested at a border crossing near San Diego on a warrant accusing him of making criminal threats and stalking, authorities said.

Peter Robbins, 56, was taken into custody on Sunday evening as he was returning to California from Mexico at the San Ysidro crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, said Ralph DeSio, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

He was jailed in lieu of $550,000 bail on suspicion of four counts of making criminal threats and one count of stalking, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. Robbins, who lives in Oceanside, California, was scheduled for arraignment Wednesday afternoon.

Details of the allegations, including who Robbins is accused of threatening, were not immediately available.

The case stems from an arrest of Robbins earlier this month by the San Diego Police Department, said department spokesman Detective Gary Hassen said.

Following his earlier arrest, Robbins was released on $50,000 bond, Hassen said, adding that he did not know why there was an outstanding warrant in the case.

Robbins was only 9 years old in 1965 when he became the voice of the world-weary yet optimistic title character of "A Charlie Brown Christmas," the first of many animated TV specials based on the popular "Peanuts" comic strip of Charles Schulz.

With its jazz-inflected music score and a storyline involving Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas in a season corrupted by commercialism, it became a holiday TV classic.

The actor went on to voice Charlie Brown in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown," "You're In Love, Charlie Brown" and "A Boy Named Charlie Brown," all which aired in the 1960s. He was replaced in later versions of the animated specials.

A spokesman for the San Diego District Attorney's Office said formal charges against Robbins would be presented at his court appearance and declined to give further details on the case.

(Reporting by Marty Graham; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Gunna Dickson)