Chad Johnson gets 30 days in jail

[MikeO]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5MZ8Dy8uOho

Everything is a big joke....till its not! He got what he deserved. Walking into a court and not taking things seriously. Good for this judge!

[Landshark]

You don't piss off the judge

[Dave Gray]

I disagree and I think 30 days is absurd.  This judge is a joke.

Blame OC for hitting women -- fine, throw him in jail.  But after you'd already sentenced him, a pat on the butt to your own attorney when asked if you're pleased with him gets you a month in JAIL.  JAIL!  WTF?  Embarrassment to the legal system.

[MikeO]

I disagree and I think 30 days is absurd.  This judge is a joke.

Blame OC for hitting women -- fine, throw him in jail.  But after you'd already sentenced him, a pat on the butt to your own attorney when asked if you're pleased with him gets you a month in JAIL.  JAIL!  WTF?  Embarrassment to the legal system.

He is in court because he physically abused a woman and he then on top of that violated his parole. Then he wants to act like the class clown in the court room and treat this thing like it isn't serious? He was asked a question where a YES or NO answer would have been enough. He should have gotten more than 30 days honestly.

[Spider-Dan]

The question itself was silly.  "Are you pleased with your attorney?"

30 days is this judge reaching hard to prove a point.  It's dumb.

[Phishfan]

The question itself was silly.  "Are you pleased with your attorney?"

30 days is this judge reaching hard to prove a point.  It's dumb.

You must not have seen or been involved in many court cases. He was in a plea deal so this is common and likely a required question to verify that he agrees with the terms of the deal.

A butt slap was stupid and was making a mockery of the courtroom. Like it or not, courtrooms are held to a different standard of conduct. Butt slaps don't fall into acceptable behavior and I can understand the judge being upset. The court does not have to accept the plea deal by both sides. This is a perfect example of how you should or should not behave.

[Sunstroke]

Without condoning any of the actions that landed him in that courtroom, the judge giving him 30 days in jail, when she was set to accept his plea deal, is patently ridiculous. First, she asked the question, and then she was the one who said he should appreciate the job his lawyer did. Maybe she's never dealt with football players before, as they often slap teammates on the backside when they appreciate the job their teammate did.

[Pappy13]

I tend to agree with Phishfin, the question was not silly, it was meant to determine whether or not Chad Johnson was in full agreement with the plea agreement. Whether or not CJ was trying to make a mockery of the preceedings is another story.

Also, let's be clear that Chad Johnson didn't get 30 days for the butt tap, he got 30 days for a parole violation which is a very serious offense. 30 days might have been considered lenient.

Obviously the judge thought CJ wasn't taking the situation seriously and decided to ignore the plea agreement and give him 30 days in jail for a parole violation so that he would take it seriously. Whether or not the judge made a mistake in ripping up the plea agreement is up for discussion, but the rest of it really is not.

[Dave Gray]

Also, let's be clear that Chad Johnson didn't get 30 days for the butt tap, he got 30 days for a parole violation which is a very serious offense. 30 days might have been considered lenient.

This just isn't true.  The ruling was already there for no jail time.  Then, she asked him if he was happy with his attorney and he gave him a little tap on the butt to say "yes".  Sure, OC is a scumbag, but he's not the one who made a mockery of the court -- she did.

[Fau Teixeira]

You have to consider what the delta of the situation was really in the end.

He's going to jail for 30 days because a few 3rd parties laughed at his impromptu expression of relief.

I don't think that's fair.

[masterfins]

On its face (30) days for a butt slap seems excessive.  However, he probably received a lot more consideration with the plea deal he was offered as a result of his celebrity status and ability to hire high priced lawyers.  I applaud the Judge for taking this no non-sense attitude, maybe Ocho will reflect about how it's not all about him when he is sitting in that jail cell.  HE created his persona with his antics, now he's gonna have to pay the price.

[Phishfan]

This just isn't true.  The ruling was already there for no jail time.  Then, she asked him if he was happy with his attorney and he gave him a little tap on the butt to say "yes".  Sure, OC is a scumbag, but he's not the one who made a mockery of the court -- she did.

Again this is a misunderstanding of the court system. When the prosecution and defense come to a plea deal it usually is accepted by the court but the judge in no way has to accept the terms. My understanding was the judge was asking him about his satisifaction, which happens before the judge rules. Slapping someone's butt shows that he is not serious and is making a mokery of the situation.

[Pappy13]

This just isn't true.  The ruling was already there for no jail time.  Then, she asked him if he was happy with his attorney and he gave him a little tap on the butt to say "yes".  Sure, OC is a scumbag, but he's not the one who made a mockery of the court -- she did.

I disagree. She decided not to accept the plea bargain agreement and go with a ruling that was more in line with the offense. The 30 days was for parole violation, not for a pat on the butt. The pat on the butt just got the plea bargain shot down.

[Dave Gray]

The pat on the butt just got the plea bargain shot down.

...which is what I find absurd.  Can we all agree that the plea bargain would've been granted had he just said "yes"?

[Phishfan]

I would agree with you Dave. Can you agree that a slap on the butt in a courtroom is not mature behavior and shows a disrespect for the proceedings?