Trailer Park Boys Star Mike Smith Charged with Sexual Assault in Canada: Report By Charlotte Phillipp

Trailer Park Boys actor Mike Smith has been charged with sexual assault in Canada.

According to court documents obtained by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s CBC News, Smith, 53, was charged on Oct. 2 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, for an alleged assault dated Dec. 30, 2017.

CBC News reported that the alleged assault took place in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and Smith was ordered not to make contact with the victim, whose name has been not been made public due to a publication ban.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Trailer Park Boys Inc. — the company that oversees the show’s production, merchandise and a streaming service — said that Smith had “stepped away” from his role as managing director.

“We are aware of the allegation concerning Mike Smith dating back to 2017 and take such matters seriously,” the company wrote. “We recognize how difficult an allegation of this nature is for all involved.”

The statement continued, “Out of respect for the legal process, we will not comment further on the case. At this time, Mike has stepped away from his role at Trailer Park Boys Incorporated and Gary Howsam has assumed managing director responsibilities.”

A representative for Smith did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, Nov. 8.

Smith is known for playing Bubbles on Trailer Park Boys, a long-running Canadian mockumentary series that spun off into two feature films and several made-for-TV movies.

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Trailer Park Boys premiered in 2001 and ran for seven seasons until 2007. The rights to the series — which also stars Robb Wells and John Paul Tremblay — were purchased by the three actors in 2013. It was then picked up by Netflix in 2014, which produced five more seasons.

Season 13 was announced in January and is set to premiere in April 2026, according to TMZ.

“We remain focused on delivering the long-awaited 13th season for our fans,” the company noted in its statement to PEOPLE.

In 2016, Smith was arrested in Los Angeles and charged with misdemeanor domestic battery after an alleged incident at a hotel in Hollywood, according to CBC News.

Those charges were later dropped after both Smith and the victim released a statement denying the allegations, and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office said there was a “lack of sufficient evidence,” per the outlet.

Smith is set to appear in court in Halifax on Monday, Nov. 10.