Randy Quaid and wife held on $500,000 bail after being detained at Canadian border

The Brokeback Mountain actor is being held in a Vermont prison

Randy Quaid in 2008 (Getty Images )

The Independence Day actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are reportedly being held on $500,000 bail each after being detained at the Canadian border while trying to re-enter the United States.

The couple are wanted in Santa Barbara, California, to face charges over an incident in 2010 after allegedly squatting in a guesthouse they once owned.

The Quaid’s are accused of occupying the property illegally, damaging furniture and fixtures and failing to appear for court dates, according to court papers seen by the Associated Press.

Ms Quaid, a director, faces a separate charge of trying to resist arrest. She appeared in court in Burlington, in Vermont, while her husband appeared in a court in St Albans on Monday.

Quaid, 65, had roles in the critically acclaimed films Brokeback Mountain and Midnight Cowboy. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance the 1973 drama, The Last Detail. He is the elder brother of the actor Dennis Quaid.

The Santa Barbara’s Sheriff’s Office said in a statement: “It has been five years since Randy and Evi Quaid are alleged to have committed crimes in Santa Barbara County.

“It is the intent of the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office that Mr. and Mrs. Quaid, either voluntarily or if necessary by a warrant from the Governor of California, go through the judicial process.”