Justin Bieber Egging Case: Deputy DA Wants Felony Charge Brought
Justin Bieber could be charged with felony vandalism for allegedly egging his former neighbor’s house in Calabasas, California if the Los Angeles deputy D.A. has his way, according to a new report.
The Justin Bieber egging case trundles on, and the latest news for the pop superstar won’t make pleasant reading.
Bieber’s former neighbor Jeffrey Schwartz accused the singer of egging his residence on January 9, allegedly causing an estimated $20,000 in damages. An initial investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department led to a recommendation of a felony charge.
The fate of the 20-year-old is being decided by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, and according to a new report from TMZ Schwartz says the deputy D.A. who took over the case when it was handed over to prosecutors told him:
“If this isn’t felony vandalism, nothing is.”
Under California vandalism law, when damages are greater than $400 it’s commonly referred to as a “wobbler,” which means the D.A. has discretion whether to prosecute an offence as a misdemeanor or a felony which would incur more severe punishment for a defendant.
The celebrity gossip site further claims the deputy D.A. believes prosecuting Bieber with a misdemeanor charge would be “outrageous.”
Again citing Schwartz, the site added: “We’re told the deputy said, ‘If we don’t charge him with a felony we ruin precedent for every other felony case we want to charge.'”
Lt. David Thompson, who led the Sheriff’s department investigation, previously stated that he wants a felony charge against Bieber, but there were indications the D.A.was reluctant to go beyond a misdemeanor as well as skepticism about the high estimated damages by some.
Back in March, CNN reported Justin’s L.A. lawyers – Howard Weitzman and Shawn Holley – had met with prosecutors to try and persuade them to charge Bieber with a misdemeanor.
The egging case also involves a political element after criticisms of the cost of a Defcon 5 police raid at Bieber’s former Calabasas home on January 14.
Some considered it a showboating exercise of force for an act most likely committed under the influence of marijuana, and it’s possible the Sheriff’s department’s audible urging for a felony charge is an attempt to justify the raid.
Nevertheless, last month KTTV FOX 11 aired a clip of surveillance video taken from Justin’s former Calabasas home during the raid.
It revealed a blurry image of a male, which may or may have been the singer, “high-fiving” other males in a Calabasas road on the night of the egging while wearing a sweatshirt and cap allegedly also seen on an Instagram photo of Bieber that he posted the day after.
Detectives stated in an affidavit for a search warrant for Bieber’s Instagram account that the clothes worn by him in the photo matched a description given by Schwartz and his daughter, of attire they allegedly witnessed Justin wearing while allegedly egging their home.
The surveillance video, the home video filmed by the Schwartz family and their now updated witness statements, may convince the reportedly previously split D.A. office to bring a felony charge against Bieber.
The site adds sources say the egging case is being reviewed “at the highest level,” and as before, D.A. Jackie Lacey will likely have the final word on what Bieber may or may not be charged with.
