Post by pelicanguy on Mar 15, 2007 18:30:04 GMT -5
2 WBBM Chicago
Tank Johnson Sentenced To 120 Days In Jail
* Sentencing For Probation Violation On Weapons Charges
SKOKIE, Ill. - Chicago Bears defensive tackle Terry "Tank" Johnson has been sentenced to 120 days in jail and fined $2,500 for violating his probation. He was taken into custody Thursday afternoon and is expected to begin serving his sentence immediately.
Johnson, 25, pleaded guilty to the probation violation last month on a 2005 weapons charge. He appeared at the Skokie Courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
Dressed in a gray suit with recently shorn hair, Johnson arrived at the courtroom with coach Lovie Smith and all-pro linebacker Brian Urlacher, who testified on Johnson's behalf.
"Tank knows he's in a situation where he can't get into any other trouble," Smith said, adding jail time would be "devastating" for the player's career. "And he's let me know there won't be any more."
“It would be devastating short- and long-term,” Smith said. “I've seen a change in Tank. Tank Johnson is a good guy. I know that. I know what he's about."
“I know bad guys. Tank's not a bad guy. He's made some bad decisions,” Urlacher said.
In a statement, the Chicago Bears said: “We continue our support of Tank and he will remain a member of our football team. Tank has made many positive changes to better his life. We believe he will continue on this path at the conclusion of his sentence.”
Before he was sentenced Johnson pleaded with Moran for a leniency.
"Your honor, I don't believe I'm a man who belongs in jail," he said.
But prosecutor Rick Cenar said jail time was appropriate.
"Just because he's a professional football player and plays for the Chicago Bears, doesn't put him above the law," Cenar said.
Johnson’s attorneys say the sentence will mean 60 days in jail for their client. They also said they have not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, but suggested the football player's celebrity influenced the sentence.
“The fact that he’s a celebrity complicates the matter. It’s why you all are standing here, is it not?” Lorna Propes, one of Johnson’s attorneys, said to reporters Thursday afternoon.
"This sentence was unnecessarily harsh," Propes said. "It's pretty unheard of for these circumstances."
Earlier this month, Sports Illustrated reported that prosecutors would be seeking jail time for his sentence.
The misdemeanor carried a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.
In a separate case, Johnson has entered a plea of not guilty in Lake County on 10 counts of possessing a weapon without the proper state-required ID.
On Dec. 14, Gurnee police raided his home and found six guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
That same weekend, Johnson’s best friend Willie Posey was shot to death at a bar and the Bears imposed what Stein referred to as a "plan of action," a list of requirements which he says Johnson has met.
The Bears suspended Johnson for one game for being out at the club.
Johnson was placed under house arrest after the December raid, but he was permitted to leave to play in the Super Bowl.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
My comment: What a *bleep*-ing idiot. He knew he was on probation and still did some stupid sh-t like this.