EL CAJON, Calif. (CNS) - Ex-San Ysidro High School basketball star Mikey Williams pleaded guilty Thursday to a single count of making criminal threats in connection with allegations that he opened fire on a car occupied by a group of people outside his Jamul home.
Williams, 19, who previously faced around 30 years in prison if convicted of all charges stemming from the alleged March 27 shooting, now might only carry a misdemeanor conviction on his record.
Williams can have the criminal threats count reduced to a misdemeanor if he does not violate any laws and completes 80 hours of volunteer work, anger management and gun safety courses by his scheduled Aug. 12 sentencing date. He will not be allowed to own a firearm and a 10-year gun restriction will also be imposed on Williams at sentencing.
Should he not abide by those terms, he could still face a maximum possible sentence of 13 years in prison for the criminal threats count and an allegation of personally using a firearm. However, recently retained defense attorney Randy M. Grossman said he does not expect Williams will face any custody.
"Mikey accepted responsibility for his actions. He's shared with me that he regrets what went down that night, that it would not happen again in the future and he wishes he could change the way things happened," Grossman said. "He was an 18-year-old kid and he felt threatened and he responded in an inappropriate manner. But, he accepts what he did as wrong and he vows to move forward."
Another Williams attorney, Troy Owens, told ABC 10News that the remaining charges against the basketball star would be dropped as part of the plea deal.
Williams was committed to play at the University of Memphis, but the school's athletic department previously publicly stated that he would not be allowed to join the basketball team until his case was resolved.
Grossman said Williams has been taking online classes at the university in the interim.
"(Memphis) Coach (Anfernee) Hardaway has been very supportive of Mikey Williams and has continued to remain supportive, as has Memphis, but it is up to the school and it is their decision when they will permit him to actually attend classes on campus," Grossman said.
Prosecutors alleged Williams got into an argument with a group of people who arrived at his home unannounced just before midnight.
At a preliminary hearing held earlier this year, three juveniles testified that Williams threatened them.
When the group departed in a car, prosecutors alleged Williams opened fire on their vehicle. None of the six people in the vehicle was hit by the gunfire, but the car sustained two gunshots to the trunk and two to the back windshield, according to testimony.
None of the witnesses who testified stated they actually saw Williams open fire on the vehicle, though some of the witnesses said they saw him holding a gun. Witnesses also testified that no one in the group who arrived at Williams' house was armed or made any threats toward him.
Following Williams' change of plea hearing at the El Cajon courthouse, Deputy District Attorney George Modlin said, "Cases are individually looked at. There is no rubber stamp for any type of case, but when we looked into the details of Mr. Williams' age, lack of criminal record, everything that took place that night, both sides got together and worked really hard and came up with a resolution that we both believed creates justice for Mr. Williams and the community, keeps the community safe and creates the proper safeguards."
Williams has remained out of custody on $50,000 bail throughout the case.
