Mighty Ducks Actor Shaun Weiss' Friend Calls on Fans to Help Him Save Child Star Following Arrest

Shaun Weiss‘ friend Drew Gallagher is speaking out five days after the child star was arrested in Northern California.

The 41-year-old actor, best known for playing Greg Goldberg in The Mighty Ducks, was arrested on Sunday in Yuba County on charges of residential burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance, which police believe was methamphetamine.

Gallagher, who met Weiss while working with him on a TV pilot about four years ago, tells PEOPLE that while Weiss is not “blameless,” the situation is also not “black and white.”

“There’s not a blameless Shaun Weiss here, he is definitely to blame for a lot of stupid s— he does,” Gallagher says. “But if you were to spend any time with him you would have a drastically more compassionate understanding of what he was about.”

RELATED: Mighty Ducks Star Shaun Weiss Arrested for Residential Burglary While High on Meth: Police

Gallagher says he believes that Weiss needs “medical” and “psychiatric attention.”

“He’s sick, he’s mentally ill,” Gallagher says of the actor. “He’s just sick and everybody gives up on him.”

Gallagher describes his friend as “the nicest, softest, sweetest human being,” adding, “He’s like a brother to me. I won’t abandon him.”

While Gallagher says people tell him that Weiss “has to want the help” to get better, he doesn’t think they fully understand Weiss’ current state.

“It’s like, ‘you don’t understand, he’s having mental issues,'” Gallagher says.

“All Shaun wants to do is stand on stage and make people laugh,” he adds. “He’s one of the funniest comedians you’ll ever meet, he’s sharp, his witty, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. He understands the dire situation he’s in. The reality is there’s something where our brains go right, his brain goes left.”

RELATED: Mighty Ducks Actor Shaun Weiss Arrested After ‘Behaving Erratically’ While High on Drugs: Police

Gallagher continues to try to help his friend, and set up a GoFundMe campaign for Weiss this week to go towards his bail and future rehab expenses. As of Friday afternoon, the campaign had raised more than $2,400 out of a $25,000 goal.

Weiss was arrested Sunday after he was allegedly found inside a man’s garage by Marysville police, sitting inside of a car after forcing entry, the police department said in a statement on Facebook.

Weiss “displayed symptoms of being under the influence of methamphetamine and said he did not reside at this residence,” police allege. “Weiss also said the vehicle he was filtering through was not his,” the statement said.

Upon his arrest, Weiss was booked into the Yuba County Jail on $52,500 bail. Gallagher tells PEOPLE that he is still in jail as of Friday. Weiss’ attorney declined to comment when reached by PEOPLE.

This week was not Weiss’ first arrest. He was previously arrested in August 2018 after police in Northern California found him allegedly high on drugs and acting bizarrely with a flashlight. He ended up being released without charges.

The year prior, he had been charged with misdemeanor meth possession in California and sentenced to 90 days in jail, E! News reported.