Smith gets 90 days for crash
Published 12:39 am Wednesday, July 1, 2009
MILLSTONE, N.J. (AP) — A judge sentenced Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith to 90 days in jail Tuesday night for causing an auto accident that killed his friend, though Smith will likely end up serving only 30.
Municipal Judge Debra J. Gelson suspended 60 days of the sentence providing Smith performs 500 hours of community service consisting of visiting sick children at hospitals.
Smith, who starred at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark, admitted driving an SUV through a stop sign and colliding with a car in Millstone Township, about 20 miles east of Trenton, in June 2007. Passenger Andre Bell later died from his injuries.
A grand jury declined to indict Smith, but he faced five motor vehicle violations and pleaded guilty to reckless driving Tuesday.