Ex-Seahawk Richard Sherman pleads guilty to misdemeanor charges in King County, no jail
Richard Sherman has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges and a traffic violation and received a suspended sentence from a King County judge.
The resolution comes after the former Seahawks star’s arrest and brief jailing last summer for driving under the influence, speeding through a freeway construction area then disturbing his in-laws at their residence in Redmond.
Sherman pleaded guilty Monday to one count of negligent driving in the first degree, speeding in a roadway construction zone and criminal trespass in the second degree (without an initially charged domestic-violence component), according to King County records obtained Monday by The News Tribune.
King County Superior Court Judge Kevin Peck agreed to the terms of a plea agreement between Sherman’s attorney and prosecutors. Peck ordered Sherman to serve 90 days in jail with 88 days suspended plus credit for the two days in jail he served in July 2021. So, Sherman received no additional jail time.
Peck asked Sherman in court if he would like the judge to know anything before he sentenced him.
Sherman stood.
“I’m grateful,” Sherman said, as reported in part by Seattle’s KOMO-TV. “I’m grateful for — you know, you go through things in life, and throughout those things you make mistakes. I’m grateful for the support of my family and friends, and grateful to have the conversations I’ve had because of this, whether it’s on the mental-health side, or just the conversations, having deeper conversations with your friends about deeper stuff going on in your life.
“I’m grateful for the community we have and the way people continue to accept even though you are a flawed human being who made a mistake ...”
Sherman was the Seahawks’ All-Pro cornerback from Super Bowl teams while playing for Seattle from 2011 through ‘17. His deal with prosecutors says he must pay $825 to the court clerk and $500 for the violation of speeding in a construction zone infraction. Sherman also must pay restitution in an amount to be determined to his father-in-law, and to the Washington Department of Transportation for speeding through the construction zone.
He is to be on monitored supervision for 24 months, at fees of $480. Sherman must attend Alcohol and Drug Information School and file proof to the court within 60 days. He also must attend a DUI Victim’s Panel and file proof within 60 days. He was ordered to not drive under the influence and agree to submit to a breathalyzer test if ordered to do so.
“This resolution is consistent with how we handle similar cases. In other words, Mr. Sherman did not get special treatment one way or the other,” Casey McNerthney, director of communications at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, told the TNT in an e-mail Monday.
“The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office was in contact with the victim prior to the case resolution.”
This was the first involvement in the criminal-justice system for the 33-year-old Sherman. After the Seahawks released him rather than pay him following his torn Achilles tendon during Seattle’s 2017 season, Sherman played three seasons for the San Francisco 49ers. He played five games last season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Sherman wrote the following response to each charge as part of his guilty plea agreement:
“On or about July 14, 2021, in King County, WA, the following events occurred:
“Count 1: I operated a motor vehicle in a manner that was negligent and likely to endanger property and I exhibited the effects of having consumed liquor. I exited 520 eastbound driving too fast, and did not maintain the proper lookout and attention to driving that the conditions and time of day warranted. A Washington State Patrol Trooper later observed the odor of alcohol on my breath.
“Count 2: When I first exited 520, I drove my vehicle into a roadway construction zone at 60-70 mph, which was a speed greater than that allowed by the traffic control devices in place. I agree that I committed the traffic infraction of speeding in a roadway construction zone pursuant to RCW 46.61.527 (2).
“Count 3: I knowingly remained unlawfully upon the premises of Raymond Moss when I remained on Mr. Moss’ front porch after it was clear to me based on the circumstances that I did not have permission to be there at that time.”
Court records and police reports say Sherman had been belligerent, drinking heavily and talked of possibly killing himself when he left his home in Maple Valley on a July night. Ashley Sherman called 911.
Sherman drove his SUV from Maple Valley into a construction zone on state Route 520 in Redmond on the night in question. He was arrested after he apparently walked from his disabled SUV to his in-laws’ house about 2 miles away and tried to force his way into the residence. Police reported his wife was inside, and his father-in-law tried to protect her and his family from Sherman’s repeating charging into a bolt-locked front door by bear-spraying him.
Sherman was arrested on suspicion of burglary with a domestic-violence component because of his relation to the in-laws whose house he forcibly attempted to enter — not because of violence toward any family member or a significant other — the chief of the Redmond Police Department said in July.
Sherman and his wife Ashley walked into a King County courtroom July 16 holding hands. They walked out of the courtroom holding hands.
The iconic member of Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” secondary of the team’s past Super Bowl era issued a statement that day. Its tone was of remorse, reconciliation and reconstruction.
Of his marriage. Of his family. Of his life.
His attorney, Cooper Offenbecher, said then Sherman is facing “a watershed moment for him.”
“I am deeply remorseful for my actions on Tuesday night,” Sherman wrote on his Twitter account July 16. “I behaved in a manner I am not proud of. I have been dealing with some personal challenges over the last several months, but that is not an excuse for how I acted. The importance of mental and emotional health is extremely real and I vow to get the help I need. I appreciate all of the people who have reached out in support of me and my family, including our community here in Seattle. I am grateful to have such an amazing wife, family and support system to lean on during this time.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2022 at 1:37 PM.
