Poundstone Charges Involve Adopted Kids

June 29, 2001 -- The lewd conduct and child endangerment charges against comedian Paula Poundstone involve her adopted and foster children, according to a published report.

The 41-year-old entertainer was arrested Wednesday on multiple counts of lewd conduct upon a child and child endangerment.

Anita Bock, heads of the Los Angeles County Department ofChildren and Family Services, told the Los Angeles Times today the the alleged incidents involved children in her care. Poundstone has three adopted children and two foster children. All five are now in the care of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.

The charges include three counts of committing a lewd act on a girl under the age of 14, and endangering four other children — two boys and two girls.

The complaint alleges the lewd acts were committed May 19 and June 6, and that the alleged child endangerment occurred on June 6.

If convicted, Poundstone would face a maximum of 13 years, four months in state prison.

She was released on $200,000 bail.

Comedian Denies the Charges

Through her lawyer and in a brief statement as she left the jail Wednesday, Poundstone insisted she is innocent of the charges.

"I have faith that the truth is the right thing," she said.

"We are confident she has done nothing wrong," her attorney, Steven Cron, said in a statement Thursday.

The comic, known for her one-liners about politics and life in general, started her career 21 years ago and has been a frequent guest on late-night talk shows and is a regular panelist on To Tell the Truth, a syndicated game show.

Poundstone has also been known for a different role — foster mom. Since becoming a foster parent in 1993, she reportedly has cared for eight children, adopting three of them. She is currently a foster parent for two others.

In an interview with The Christian Science Monitor earlier this year, she said being a mom was her favorite role and indicated that she became involved in foster parenting because she was a foster child herself.

ABCNEWS' Bryan Robinson and ABC affiliate KABC in Los Angeles contributed to this report.