New Mentalist Character To Butt Heads with Jane

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Kecks-Exclusives-New-1024722.aspx

At the end of The Mentalist's November 18 episode, titled "Red Moon" and directed by series star Simon Baker, something will happen at CBI that casts suspicion on the organization's employees.

Enter Agent J.J. Laroche, played by character actor Pruitt Taylor Vince, the head of CBI's Internal Affairs. He arrives December 9 and will recur in five or six more episodes this the season. The character is described as quirky, charmless, professional, socially awkward and Patrick Jane's intellectual equal.

Pruitt, who has appeared in the films Mississippi Burning and Wild at Heart, previously had recurring roles on Deadwood and Murder One, for which he won a 1997 Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor. And you won't need Jane's keen perception to detect Pruitt's trademark quality: a condition called nystagmus that causes his eyes to move involuntarily.