'Boston Legal' Actor Justin Mentell Dies

Former "Boston Legal" actor Justin Mentell has died, according to a multiple press reports and the actor's personal Web site.

The 27-year-old actor died Monday after his Jeep crashed in rural Wisconsin. The Iowa County Sheriff's Department said Mentell died when his vehicle careened off a highway and down a steep embankment, colliding with two trees. Mentell was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was thrown from the Jeep. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The accident is believed to have occurred around 3:30 a.m. and was first reported at 8:30 a.m. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, a farmer spotted the car while driving along a road outside Blanchardville, Wisconsin. Chief Deputy John Pepper told reporters, "It looks like [Mentell] had been there for several hours. There are a lot of trees in that area, so if you were driving on 39, you wouldn't be able to see the vehicle. The farmer was traveling on Moscow Road after the sun came up, and he saw the Jeep in a field."

Pepper added there was "no indication" alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, and routine toxicology reports won't be available for six to eight weeks.

Mentell played attorney Garrett Wells on ABC's "Boston Legal" from 2005 to 2006, alongside co-stars James Spader and William Shatner. Last year, Mentell appeared as a human character in the CG animated film "G-Force" about a group of secret-agent guinea pigs and other animals.

A statement on the actor's Web site read, "The family and friends of Justin Mentell thank you for visiting his site. Memorial services are being planned."