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April 12, 2007 - Lane Garrison will plead guilty |
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Los Angeles, California - There's a very real possibility
that he will go to prison, but Lane Garrison's not looking
for a break.
The actor will plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter on May
21, shouldering the blame for his role in a fatal car crash
in December, his lawyer said Wednesday. |
"Mr. Garrison's attitude is basically 'Look I did something
wrong, I'm going to face up to my responsibilities and I'm
going to accept my punishment,' " attorney Harlan Braun
said. |
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The charges against Garrison stem from the Dec. 2 car crash
that killed 17-year-old Vahagn Setian and injured two
15-year-old girls, all of whom were riding in the actor's
SUV when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and
slammed into a tree.
The former Prison Break player was scheduled to be arraigned
Wednesday on one felony count of vehicular manslaughter, two
felony DUI counts and a misdemeanor count of providing
alcohol to minors, but the hearing was pushed back to May 21
to allow Braun more time to work out a plea agreement with
the prosecution.
In court Wednesday morning, Braun told Beverly Hills
Superior Court Judge Elden Fox that "we anticipate resolving
[the charges] that day by a plea."
Aside from pleading guilty to manslaughter, Garrison may
also plead guilty to additional charges, while seeking to
have others dropped under plea negotiations, Braun said.
The actor's sentence, on the other hand, will not be subject
to any agreement and will be left up to the judge, Braun
said.
The judge, in turn, agreed to keep a pre-plea report on
Garrison sealed until the actor is sentenced.
If convicted of all the charges against him, Garrison could
face six years and eight months behind bars.
Garrison attended Wednesday's hearing, but did not speak to
reporters. He currently remains free on $100,000 bail and
has been ordered by the judge not to drink alcohol, drive or
have any contact with witnesses or victims of the crash.
Braun said last month that his client was prepared to face
the consequences of his actions and implied that a plea deal
was in the works with prosecutors.
"He is going to accept responsibility for his conduct," the
lawyer said. "The only question is what is that level of
responsibility."
Garrison's troubles began Dec. 2, when he reportedly
encountered a group of teenagers at an L.A. supermarket and
agreed to accompany them to a party.
At the time of Garrison's arrest, Braun said that the actor
had one drink at the party and left to meet a friend,
allowing three teens to tag along. His next memory, the
lawyer claimed, was of waking up in the hospital with a cab
voucher in his lap.
Meanwhile, witnesses from the party had a slightly different
version of events, telling TMZ that Garrison took "several
shots" from a bottle of Gray Goose vodka he brought with him
and that he was actually on his way to buy more alcohol for
the party at the time of the crash.
Wherever Garrison was heading, he didn't make it there. As
the actor drove through Beverly Hills, his SUV jumped a curb
and hit a tree, killing Setian and injuring his other
passengers, one critically.
Garrison suffered only minor injuries in the accident.
A police investigation revealed that Garrison registered a
blood-alcohol level of 0.20—more than twice the legal
limit—at the time of the crash and tested positive for
cocaine.
He was also believed to have been driving at between 47 and
51 miles per hour, well over the 25 mph speed limit.
Last month, an attorney for Setian's family said they were
"gratified" by the charges filed against the actor.
"They have lost their only child due to Lane Garrison's
recklessness," the lawyer said.
Braun said Wednesday that Garrison was aware of the
devastation caused by his actions, saying the actor feels
"he's the lucky one—the young man died and he's alive. He
understands he could have been dead and he's responsible." |
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