Teh One Who Knocks
06-04-2012, 09:37 PM
by Alexis L. Loinaz - E! Online
http://i.imgur.com/nmiNe.jpg
Lost's Matthew Fox has found yet another reprieve from his legal woes.
E! News has confirmed that the actor has averted jail time after a DUI charge leveled against him last month was "diverted" into a special program that requires the actor to complete a yearlong treatment plan.
The news comes just days after a complaint against Fox stemming from a notorious 2011 party-bus incident was dropped.
So what exactly does this mean for the star, and is he totally scot-free when it comes to avoiding the clinker?
Not necessarily.
Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Cliff Lu tells E! News that Fox has been entered into a "DUI diversion program [that] diverts the charge out of the criminal system."
What this means, essentially, is that—in lieu of a sentencing—Fox will be required to participate in a court-mandated treatment program. After a year, he can ask the court to dismiss the charge provided he's fully complied with the program's requirements.
"The court did not suspend or revoke his license," Lu clarifies. "Since the defendant was not sentenced, there was no agreement that the state would seek no jail. The bottom line is that the defendant was not sentenced, so there could not be a negotiated settlement on jail between defendant and my office."
No word yet on what the specifics of the treatment program might be.
The 45-year-old actor was popped last month in Bend, Ore., after an officer pulled him over for a traffic violation and subsequently determined that he was intoxicated. He was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants and failure to carry or present a license.
The plea deal is the second wave of good news for the beleaguered star. Last week, a Cleveland bus driver dropped a personal-injury complaint against Fox alleging that he punched her in the chest and groin in August 2011 while trying to board her vehicle.
http://i.imgur.com/nmiNe.jpg
Lost's Matthew Fox has found yet another reprieve from his legal woes.
E! News has confirmed that the actor has averted jail time after a DUI charge leveled against him last month was "diverted" into a special program that requires the actor to complete a yearlong treatment plan.
The news comes just days after a complaint against Fox stemming from a notorious 2011 party-bus incident was dropped.
So what exactly does this mean for the star, and is he totally scot-free when it comes to avoiding the clinker?
Not necessarily.
Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Cliff Lu tells E! News that Fox has been entered into a "DUI diversion program [that] diverts the charge out of the criminal system."
What this means, essentially, is that—in lieu of a sentencing—Fox will be required to participate in a court-mandated treatment program. After a year, he can ask the court to dismiss the charge provided he's fully complied with the program's requirements.
"The court did not suspend or revoke his license," Lu clarifies. "Since the defendant was not sentenced, there was no agreement that the state would seek no jail. The bottom line is that the defendant was not sentenced, so there could not be a negotiated settlement on jail between defendant and my office."
No word yet on what the specifics of the treatment program might be.
The 45-year-old actor was popped last month in Bend, Ore., after an officer pulled him over for a traffic violation and subsequently determined that he was intoxicated. He was charged with driving under the influence of intoxicants and failure to carry or present a license.
The plea deal is the second wave of good news for the beleaguered star. Last week, a Cleveland bus driver dropped a personal-injury complaint against Fox alleging that he punched her in the chest and groin in August 2011 while trying to board her vehicle.