Posted on 09/12/2001 8:26:35 PM PDT by hole_n_one
By Dan Whitcomb
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comic Paula Poundstone (news - web sites), saying that the ``truth prevailed,'' pleaded no contest to child endangerment Wednesday after prosecutors dropped sex charges against her in a plea deal expected to spare her prison time.
The 41-year-old comic pleaded no contest to one felony count of child endangerment and one misdemeanor count of inflicting injury on a child, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokeswoman Jane Robison said.
Prosecutors dropped three counts that accused Poundstone, who was arrested in June and has been in an alcohol rehabilitation center ever since, of committing a lewd act on a child under 14.
``At the beginning of this nightmare I said I trusted the truth,'' Poundstone said in a statement released after she entered her pleas in a Santa Monica courtroom. ``Today, the truth prevailed.''
``The lewd conduct charges against me were dropped because they weren't true,'' Poundstone said in the statement. ``I pled no contest to the child endangerment/injury charges because they were. My drinking helped to create a dangerous situation for the children (and) for this I am very sorry.''
``All I can say is I am working very hard to overcome my alcohol problem,'' she said. ``For my kids' sake as well as my own I am determined to succeed.''
Robison said the child endangerment charge involved her drinking and driving with four children in the car, but would not discuss the child injury count.
She added that, as part of Poundstone's plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend that she be placed on five years supervised probation with the condition that the comic spend 180 days in a secure alcohol rehabilitation facility.
Robison said Poundstone would also be required to submit to psychiatric counseling once a week for a year, perform 200 hours of community service and pay a $1,000 fine.
Robison said the victims named in the case were Poundstone's two adopted children and three foster children that she was caring for. Robison said the foster children had already been taken from Poundstone, who would regain custody of her adopted children.
She said she could not discuss why Poundstone -- who entered the plea one day after she was scheduled to begin a preliminary hearing in the case that was postponed by Tuesday's devastating airplane attacks in New York and Washington -- would no longer face the lewd conduct charges.
``We can't say anything more than that,'' Robison said. ''After further investigation we believe this is an appropriate way the case should be handled and resolved.''
The Massachusetts-born Poundstone, who has appeared on the syndicated TV game show ``To Tell the Truth,'' was due in court later on Wednesday to discuss the terms of her sentence with the judge.
Reuters/Variety
``We can't say anything more than that,'' Robison said. ''After further investigation we believe this is an appropriate way the case should be handled and resolved.''
"I am a public servant--you have no right to question me or my motives!"
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