ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry avoided jail time by pleading guilty Tuesday to a concealed weapon charge.
In exchange for the plea, Henry will be on probation for two years, serve 100 hours of community service, attend a firearms safety class and forfeit the 9 mm gun he pulled during a skirmish in downtown Orlando.
Circuit Judge John Kest agreed to withhold adjudication on the felony count because Henry had no prior convictions, despite his guilty plea to a marijuana possession charge in March in Kentucky. Neither Kest nor prosecutors mentioned that in court.
Henry has been arrested four times in the past 10 months, and had a reputation as a potential problem even before the Bengals drafted him two years ago.
``I'd like to say I know I made a mistake, but I'm just trying to, you know what I'm saying, turn all of this into a positive,'' he said outside the courthouse. ``I just want to get back to playing football. It's what I do.''
Henry was arrested Jan. 28 in Orlando after a police officer saw him raise a handgun during a fight. The officer pulled his weapon and ordered Henry to drop the gun, loaded with eight hollow-point bullets and one ``snake shot'' round, which produces a spread of pellets similar to a shotgun, according to prosecutors. The gun had also been listed as stolen by the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.
Henry was originally charged with felony possession of a concealed firearm, improper exhibition of a firearm and aggravated assault with a firearm, but prosecutors dropped all but the concealed possession count.
Henry pleaded guilty to the marijuana charge in Kentucky, avoiding jail time after completing a drug rehabilitation program.
He was arrested in June and charged with speeding and drunken driving in suburban Cincinnati, and that month pleaded not guilty in Covington, Ky., to charges that he provided alcohol to three underage females.
The misdemeanor DUI charges in Clermont County, Ohio, are still pending, with the next hearing set for Oct. 19.
It wasn't clear how or if Henry may be disciplined by the league. NFL spokesman Steve Alic said he couldn't comment specifically on the case.
Under NFL rules, anyone convicted of or admitting to a criminal violation, including a plea to a lesser offense, is subject to discipline determined by the league commissioner.
Usually Cincinnati's third-string receiver, Henry filled in for injured wideout T.J. Houshmandzadeh against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He had one reception for minus-5 yards.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
