Flagstaffsooner
5/6/2006, 06:59 AM
The a-hole wouldn't admit his guilt.
Sutton pleads no contest to charges
By Nolan Clay
The Oklahoman
STILLWATER - Eddie Sutton pleaded no contest Friday to aggravated drunken driving, speeding and driving left of center and was put on probation for a year.
The Oklahoma State University men's basketball coach was charged with the misdemeanors after a traffic accident Feb. 10 that injured another driver.
"I recognize the importance of accepting responsibility for one's own actions. That is what I am doing today," Sutton, 70, said in a statement OSU released after his plea.
He paid $1,438 in fines and other costs. He was given until Aug. 8 to pay restitution to Teresa Barnard, the accident victim.
The punishment was the result of a plea deal Sutton's attorneys reached with prosecutors beforehand. Special Judge Michael Stano accepted their recommendation during a brief hearing.
District Attorney Rob Hudson said earlier Sutton received the same deal that is normal for first offenders. Such deals require counseling for alcoholism, but Sutton was given credit for the treatment he's already receiving.
Sutton still is required to appear before a panel of drunken-driving victims.
Barnard, 42, of Perry watched with her husband and two attorneys from a back row of the courtroom. She wiped tears from her eyes and buried her face in her hands before the sentencing started.
"It's definitely hard on her," said one attorney, Chris Sloan of Oklahoma City. "This is going to take a lot longer than just today to figure this thing out and get something that really cures the injuries and the problems that they have had."
Barnard was upset the coach pleaded no contest rather than guilty, Sloan said.
Sutton's probation is a deferred sentence. That type means he will not have a criminal conviction if he stays out of trouble in the next year.
The sentencing Friday was Sutton's first court appearance on the charges. He has been recovering from back surgery and receiving treatment for alcoholism, including five weeks of inpatient counseling. He is on medical leave from OSU.
Sutton wrecked his OSU-provided sport utility vehicle about 5:45 p.m. Feb. 10 while driving to the Stillwater airport for a team flight to a game in College Station, Texas.
He didn't get far from the university. He first struck Barnard's sport utility vehicle, then crashed without braking into a tree.
The coach admitted in a news conference Feb. 15 he has "a problem with alcohol" and "succumbed to temptation and went and bought a bottle" before the accident because of severe back pain.
He was charged Feb. 17 after his blood test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.22, almost three times the permissible legal limit for driving.
Sutton spoke little Friday while standing before the judge. He answered, "Yes, sir," in a clear voice to questions and then pleaded, "No contest."
Sutton smiled as he walked to court with his attorneys and chatted a little with reporters while waiting for the judge to enter. He said his health was "great," the best in three years. He said his physical therapist tells him, "No pain. No gain." He also made a remark about Perry Mason, the fictional defense attorney portrayed in a once-popular TV show.
With him Friday was his pastor, the Rev. Stan Warfield of the First United Methodist Church in Stillwater.
"He's glad to get all this behind him," Warfield said. "He's deeply sincere. He's always been a person who wants people to be responsible for their actions."
In his written statement, Sutton said, "Alcoholism is a terrible disease and I cannot stress enough its seriousness. ... I accept the consequences and I am ready to move ahead. ... I would ask you to continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers."
Prosecutors vowed Sutton would receive no special treatment. Like other defendants, he was fingerprinted and photographed at the Payne County jail. Sutton went to the jail Wednesday for the processing.
Friday, he had to wait about 15 minutes while the judge first dealt with defendants in custody.
Hudson, the district attorney, did not appear in court, letting an assistant recommend sentencing.
"I wanted to be true to my word that we are handling this like we would any other case in all respects that we can," Hudson said Tuesday. "I wouldn't normally take a plea on a misdemeanor."
Sutton is expected to resign later this year. In a statement Friday, OSU said, "We believe it is premature and, simply, out of place given the events of the day to engage in any discussion about what is next for Coach Sutton." Contributing: Mike Baldwin
Sutton pleads no contest to charges
By Nolan Clay
The Oklahoman
STILLWATER - Eddie Sutton pleaded no contest Friday to aggravated drunken driving, speeding and driving left of center and was put on probation for a year.
The Oklahoma State University men's basketball coach was charged with the misdemeanors after a traffic accident Feb. 10 that injured another driver.
"I recognize the importance of accepting responsibility for one's own actions. That is what I am doing today," Sutton, 70, said in a statement OSU released after his plea.
He paid $1,438 in fines and other costs. He was given until Aug. 8 to pay restitution to Teresa Barnard, the accident victim.
The punishment was the result of a plea deal Sutton's attorneys reached with prosecutors beforehand. Special Judge Michael Stano accepted their recommendation during a brief hearing.
District Attorney Rob Hudson said earlier Sutton received the same deal that is normal for first offenders. Such deals require counseling for alcoholism, but Sutton was given credit for the treatment he's already receiving.
Sutton still is required to appear before a panel of drunken-driving victims.
Barnard, 42, of Perry watched with her husband and two attorneys from a back row of the courtroom. She wiped tears from her eyes and buried her face in her hands before the sentencing started.
"It's definitely hard on her," said one attorney, Chris Sloan of Oklahoma City. "This is going to take a lot longer than just today to figure this thing out and get something that really cures the injuries and the problems that they have had."
Barnard was upset the coach pleaded no contest rather than guilty, Sloan said.
Sutton's probation is a deferred sentence. That type means he will not have a criminal conviction if he stays out of trouble in the next year.
The sentencing Friday was Sutton's first court appearance on the charges. He has been recovering from back surgery and receiving treatment for alcoholism, including five weeks of inpatient counseling. He is on medical leave from OSU.
Sutton wrecked his OSU-provided sport utility vehicle about 5:45 p.m. Feb. 10 while driving to the Stillwater airport for a team flight to a game in College Station, Texas.
He didn't get far from the university. He first struck Barnard's sport utility vehicle, then crashed without braking into a tree.
The coach admitted in a news conference Feb. 15 he has "a problem with alcohol" and "succumbed to temptation and went and bought a bottle" before the accident because of severe back pain.
He was charged Feb. 17 after his blood test revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.22, almost three times the permissible legal limit for driving.
Sutton spoke little Friday while standing before the judge. He answered, "Yes, sir," in a clear voice to questions and then pleaded, "No contest."
Sutton smiled as he walked to court with his attorneys and chatted a little with reporters while waiting for the judge to enter. He said his health was "great," the best in three years. He said his physical therapist tells him, "No pain. No gain." He also made a remark about Perry Mason, the fictional defense attorney portrayed in a once-popular TV show.
With him Friday was his pastor, the Rev. Stan Warfield of the First United Methodist Church in Stillwater.
"He's glad to get all this behind him," Warfield said. "He's deeply sincere. He's always been a person who wants people to be responsible for their actions."
In his written statement, Sutton said, "Alcoholism is a terrible disease and I cannot stress enough its seriousness. ... I accept the consequences and I am ready to move ahead. ... I would ask you to continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers."
Prosecutors vowed Sutton would receive no special treatment. Like other defendants, he was fingerprinted and photographed at the Payne County jail. Sutton went to the jail Wednesday for the processing.
Friday, he had to wait about 15 minutes while the judge first dealt with defendants in custody.
Hudson, the district attorney, did not appear in court, letting an assistant recommend sentencing.
"I wanted to be true to my word that we are handling this like we would any other case in all respects that we can," Hudson said Tuesday. "I wouldn't normally take a plea on a misdemeanor."
Sutton is expected to resign later this year. In a statement Friday, OSU said, "We believe it is premature and, simply, out of place given the events of the day to engage in any discussion about what is next for Coach Sutton." Contributing: Mike Baldwin