Chamique Holdsclaw Pleads Guilty To Charges

Former WNBA player and Olympic gold medalist Chamique Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to charges stemming from an argument and shooting in November.

Holdsclaw pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and two counts of criminal damage in the second degree. She also pleaded guilty to criminal damage in the first degree and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The 35-year-old was sentenced to three years’ probation and ordered to pay $3,000 and serve 120 hours of community service. She must also avoid violent contact with her ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Jennifer Lacy, and complete anger management.

Holdsclaw, who played in the WNBA for 12 seasons, was arrested in November after she smashed Lacy’s driver’s side and passenger windows with a baseball bat, and stuck a pistol into the rear driver’s side window, shooting across the SUV to the other door. Lacy, who currently plays for the Tulsa Shock, was still in the driver’s seat at the time, but was not injured in the shooting.

Holdsclaw was charged with aggravated assault, reckless conduct and second-degree criminal damage to property, and held on $10,000 bond.

Holdsclaw was indicted by a grand jury in February and was facing up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all six charges, but she pleaded not guilty in March. Her attorney, Ed Garland, said that Holdsclaw did assault Lacy’s car, but she did not assault Lacy herself. He also said that he would try to settle the case with the District Attorney before the trial began.

Garland said that Holdsclaw decided to plead guilty because she “felt that to honestly accept what her actions were was best for everyone concerned.”

In her 2012 biography, Breaking Through: Beating the Odds Shot After Shot, Chamique Holdsclaw revealed that she had not only battled with depression, but also attempted suicide while she was playing for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2006.

Do you think Chamique Holdsclaw should have gotten jail time after pleading guilty?