30 Days for Donte'

Boy, has the story shifted! From being the number 2 WR in the 2007 Pats' record-setting offense, Donte' Stallworth is about to face 30 days of jail time for DUI. He pleaded guilty Tuesday for killing a pedestrian while driving drunk in Miami. He also agreed to a confidential financial statement intended for his victim's family. Stallworth's attorney noted that Stallworth stopped immediately after the accident, called 911 and submitted to roadside alcohol testing, even knowing he would test posititve after a night of heavy drinking: actions that have undoubtedly helped his cause. Lawyer Christopher Lyons said of Stallworth, "He acted like a man, he remained at the scene, and he cooperated fully." During the trial, Stallworth stated that he hopes to get into drunk driving clinics, and to urge people not to make the same mistakes he did. As a punshment, Stallworth must undergo drug and alcohol testing, will have a lifetime driver's license suspension, and must perform 1,000 hours of community service, a pretty servable punishment considering his running over a man, allthewhile intoxicated.

I understand that his cooperation with authorities and lack of criminal record is saving him in court, but there's no question he's getting some special treatment. What Stallworth did is classified as criminally negligent manslaughter, which is defined by one legal dictionary as "a homicide resulting from the taking of an unreasonable and high degree of risk is usually considered criminally negligent manslaughter." The possible punishments for such a crime depends on the laws of the state in which the crime was committed. Aparently it also depends on how rich and famous the killer is.