By M&C News Aug 23, 2006, 20:42 GMT
Country singer John Michael Montgomery entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors in Kentucky over his drunken driving arrest in February. The singer (whose brother Eddie Montgomery is part of the duo Montgomery Gentry) entered an “Alford plea” which acknowledges the prosecutors have the evidence needed to get a conviction, but does not admit guilt.
Montgomery (41 and a Kentucky native) was stopped on suspicion of driving under the influence in February after leaving a Lexington bar. The singer was stopped after officers believed he was driving suspiciously. During the bust, officers found two guns in the singer’s Dodge pickup and someone else’s prescription drugs – according to information on the bottle’s label.
As a result of plea agreement, the singer was ordered to pay $663.50 in fines and court costs, and will have to complete an alcohol education program. Upon completion of his court conditions, his driver's license will be returned. Also as part of the plea agreement, the charge of being in possession of a concealed deadly weapon and the charge of possessing a prescription in an improper container have been dropped.
Montgomery's lawyers argued all the charges against the singer should be dropped as a result of Lexington officer Joshua Cromer’s posting of photos related to the arrest on his MySpace.com website, and comments about the arrest appearing on the site. The officer remains on administrative, but the department will not confirm if it is due to the Montgomery arrest. There is also an internal investigation proceeding concerning the Montgomery bust.
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