Wisconsin: Milwaukee tire-slashing case ends in plea deals for 4 and guilty verdict for 1
MilwaukeeChannel.com reports: A judge on Friday accepted no contest pleas by four of five Democratic presidential campaign workers to misdemeanor criminal damage to property for puncturing the tires of Republican vehicles on Election Day 2004.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michael Brennan accepted the pleas after a jury deliberated for a second day after an eight-day trial on felony property damage charges. The defendants had faced potential 3 1/2-year prison terms and $10,000 fines.
The lesser misdemeanor charges carry potential nine-month jail terms and fines of $10,000.
Defendant Justin Howell was the only one not included in the deal, and jurors found him not guilty Friday of the felony charge. -- TheMilwaukeeChannel.com - Steps Away - GOP Tire-Slashing Trial Comes To Surprising End