'Rampage' Jackson accepts plea bargain in wild driving incident
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, photographed on Dec. 27, avoided jail time Thursday by striking a plea bargain that will allow a felony charge against him to be dropped next year if he complies with stipulations including routine visits to mental health physicians.
He avoids jail time by pleading guilty to felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. Mental health evaluations are part of deal.
By Lance Pugmire
January 9, 2009
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts contender, avoided jail time Thursday by striking a plea bargain that will allow a felony charge against him to be dropped next year if he complies with stipulations including routine visits to mental health physicians.
Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving after a July 15 incident. That day, in a drive from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, Jackson struck two vehicles, weaved through traffic while talking on his cellphone, ran red lights endangering bicyclists and then steered his vehicle onto sidewalks where pedestrians were forced to flee to safety, according to law enforcement officials.
"It's very, very fair [settlement] under the circumstances," Jackson's attorney, Carol E. Lavacot, said after the hearing.
Jackson has undergone "extensive testing by a psychiatrist, psychologist and neuropsychologist," and it was determined he "suffered a brief episode of delirium which was reactive to situational and metabolic difficulties," Lavacot said.
Jackson, a single father who lives in Irvine, has said personal problems have plagued him during his career, and UFC President Dana White has blamed the fighter's delirium on an overuse of energy drinks during a fast.
Prosecutor Keith Bogardus declined to comment about the case.
Jackson will be required to submit bimonthly mental health reports to the Orange County district attorney from doctors who will evaluate him and perform 200 hours of community service. He also must pay restitution. If he fails to comply with the plea agreement by his scheduled sentencing date of Jan. 7, 2010, Jackson's felony count won't be dropped and he will be subject to a jail term of "no more than 180 days," Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goenthals told the fighter in court. Jackson declined comment on his case while leaving the courthouse. Jackson's agreement comes less than two weeks after his first-round knockout of rival Wanderlei Silva in a Dec. 27 UFC event in Las Vegas. Jackson had lost his light-heavyweight belt in July to Forrest Griffin.
By defeating Silva, Jackson has positioned himself for a likely light-heavyweight title shot against new champion Rashad Evans this year. Asked about retaining his freedom and being allowed to focus on a yet-to-be-finalized Evans bout, Jackson reverted to the smiling, charming personality he's better known for in the mixed martial arts community.
"Who told you I'm getting that fight?" he asked. "You guys know more than I do."
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, photographed on Dec. 27, avoided jail time Thursday by striking a plea bargain that will allow a felony charge against him to be dropped next year if he complies with stipulations including routine visits to mental health physicians.
He avoids jail time by pleading guilty to felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving. Mental health evaluations are part of deal.
By Lance Pugmire
January 9, 2009
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, an Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts contender, avoided jail time Thursday by striking a plea bargain that will allow a felony charge against him to be dropped next year if he complies with stipulations including routine visits to mental health physicians.
Jackson, 30, pleaded guilty in Orange County Superior Court to one felony count of evading a peace officer and driving against traffic and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving after a July 15 incident. That day, in a drive from Costa Mesa to Newport Beach, Jackson struck two vehicles, weaved through traffic while talking on his cellphone, ran red lights endangering bicyclists and then steered his vehicle onto sidewalks where pedestrians were forced to flee to safety, according to law enforcement officials.
"It's very, very fair [settlement] under the circumstances," Jackson's attorney, Carol E. Lavacot, said after the hearing.
Jackson has undergone "extensive testing by a psychiatrist, psychologist and neuropsychologist," and it was determined he "suffered a brief episode of delirium which was reactive to situational and metabolic difficulties," Lavacot said.
Jackson, a single father who lives in Irvine, has said personal problems have plagued him during his career, and UFC President Dana White has blamed the fighter's delirium on an overuse of energy drinks during a fast.
Prosecutor Keith Bogardus declined to comment about the case.
Jackson will be required to submit bimonthly mental health reports to the Orange County district attorney from doctors who will evaluate him and perform 200 hours of community service. He also must pay restitution. If he fails to comply with the plea agreement by his scheduled sentencing date of Jan. 7, 2010, Jackson's felony count won't be dropped and he will be subject to a jail term of "no more than 180 days," Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Goenthals told the fighter in court. Jackson declined comment on his case while leaving the courthouse. Jackson's agreement comes less than two weeks after his first-round knockout of rival Wanderlei Silva in a Dec. 27 UFC event in Las Vegas. Jackson had lost his light-heavyweight belt in July to Forrest Griffin.
By defeating Silva, Jackson has positioned himself for a likely light-heavyweight title shot against new champion Rashad Evans this year. Asked about retaining his freedom and being allowed to focus on a yet-to-be-finalized Evans bout, Jackson reverted to the smiling, charming personality he's better known for in the mixed martial arts community.
"Who told you I'm getting that fight?" he asked. "You guys know more than I do."