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Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry has avoided a possible drunken-driving conviction that could have resulted in an NFL suspension by pleading guilty to a lesser charge of reckless operation of a car in Clermont County. While he was sentenced to the maximum 30 days in jail, that sentence was suspended – meaning Henry can remain free as long as he adheres to conditions outlined Wednesday by Judge Anthony W. Brock of Clermont County Municipal Court. In addition to keeping a job, Henry must: • Report to a probation officer for two years. • Not consume any alcohol or illegal drugs. • Submit to random drug tests. • Agree to let the court review drug tests on Henry administered by the NFL. • Continue with substance-abuse and behavior-improvement counseling he began in May. • Stay out of bars.
A resident of Florence, Henry, 23, said he had just left Déjà Vu – a Union Township club where women are paid to dance nude – when he was stopped on Interstate 275 by an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper at 1:18 a.m. June 3, according to a police report. Trooper Michael T. Shimko arrested Henry on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and speeding. A trial had been scheduled for Feb. 15. A pretrial conference is scheduled for today in Kenton County, where Henry has pleaded not guilty to charges or providing alcohol to three teenage girls in a Covington hotel room in April. He pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and entered a drug rehabilitation program after being stopped for speeding by Covington police on Dec. 15, 2005. Henry also pleaded guilty to carrying a concealed firearm following his arrest Jan. 28, 2006, after he got out of a limousine in Orlando, Fla., and pulled a 9-mm Luger handgun from his waistband. Henry was suspended without pay for two games by the National Football League for violating its personal conduct policy. That suspension cost him about $40,000 of his $350,000 salary. Henry was also suspended for a game by coach Marvin Lewis after he was a passenger in a car being driven by teammate Odell Thurman, who was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol in September. In Clermont County, a plea deal was struck with the office of Prosecutor Don White after Henry’s attorney, Edward C. Perry, challenged the accuracy of a breathalyzer test administered by the Milford Police Department. Assistant Prosecutor Carol Rowe agreed with Perry that the equipment had not been calibrated properly, so the test couldn’t be used as evidence against Henry. Brock fined Henry the maximum $250 on the resulting reckless operation charge, and he’ll have to pay court costs. Shimko also administered a field-sobriety test, which he said was videotaped. Based on the trooper’s observations, Henry was arrested. Cincinnati Enquirer.com http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/NEWS01/301250014
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