James Cromwell arrested while protesting dog laboratory at Texas A&M University

Veteran actor James Cromwell was arrested during a protest at Texas A&M University.

The 79-year-old actor and another man were charged with disorderly conduct after police said they disrupted a meeting of the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cromwell was a part of a demonstration on Thursday by PETA, to protest A&M's use of dogs for medical research.

The actor, who is an animal welfare activist, was released after posting a bond of USD 5,000.

"Texas A&M continues to torment golden retrievers and other dogs, even though decades of these experiments have not led to a cure for humans with muscular dystrophy.

"It's time to let the dogs out, and my friends at PETA and I want them released to good homes where they can live out the rest of their lives in peace," Cromwell said in a statement issued by PETA.

Texas A&M University announced recently that it was reducing its breeding of dogs for medical research, but the group wants the experiments to stop entirely.