Tim Allen Mugshot

Tim Allen, born Timothy Alan Dick, is a comedian and actor best known for his roles such as Tim “The Toolman” Taylor on Home Improvement, Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Story franchise and Santa Claus in The Santa Clause movies. While Allen’s more recent years reflect a beloved side of him, before the fame, Allen was a part of a Midwest drug trafficking scheme.

In October 1978, Tim Allen, 25 at the time, was arrested by an undercover cop at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport. Allen and a partner were caught with over 650 grams of cocaine and subsequently arrested on the scene.

Tim Allen pled guilty to the drug trafficking charges. He faced up to a life sentence in prison, but provided the names of the other dealers in the scheme in exchange for a reduced sentence of three to seven years in prison.

In total, Tim Allen spent two years and four months in a Sandstone, Minnesota prison. He was paroled in 1981.

On May 24, 1997, he was arrested in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, for drunk driving. In 1998, he entered rehab for alcohol abuse after being charged with a DUI. He has been sober since.

Tim Allen turned his life around, and went on to become a beloved household name. Allen has said of his time in prison, “it was a watershed moment. It put me in a position of great humility, and I was able to make amends to friends and family and refocus my life on setting and achieving goals.”

Fun Facts About Tim Allen:

• Has nine brothers and sisters.
• Paid $2 million for 26 acres of Michigan campground with the intention of keeping it in its natural, undeveloped state.
• Received his Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan (1976).

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