Ex-Lions Receiver Titus Young Pleads No Contest to Felony Battery Charge
Titus Young, 25, a former wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, on Wednesday pleaded no contest to one felony count of battery with serious bodily injury in a Los Angeles County courtroom, according to ESPN. He was scheduled by Judge Michael J. Shultz to face sentencing on May 5 at 11:30 am in Department L of the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Young was arrested on July 9, 2014, and initially faced charges of one felony battery count with serious bodily injury and four misdemeanor counts of battery on school, park or hospital property. One of the misdemeanor counts was dropped during pre-trial hearings. At the time of the booking, Young pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The former NFL player has had a history of trouble with the law. On May 5, 2013, Young was arrested twice in the same day. He was arrested for suspected drunk driving, and 14 hours later he was arrested for attempting to steal his impounded car from the tow yard. That same week, he was arrested for a third time and charged on suspicion of burglary, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer in San Clemente, California. On August 27 of that year, a California judge issued a bench warrant for Young's arrest after Young missed a court hearing on his burglary and attempted burglary charges.
Young's father, Richard, has said Titus suffers from a mental condition as a result of a concussion he incurred while with the Lions according to the Detroit Free Press. He has been receiving treatment off and on during the past two years while also being in and out of custody. He has been behind bars a total of 181 days since he went on a crime spree in Orange County in May 2013 resulting in 11 charges of burglary and assault, four of them felonies. He was being evaluated at a medical facility last July when he attacked his then-attorney, Brian Hurwitz, who was visiting him.
Shultz gave no inclination whether he will send Young to prison but made it clear that he expects Young to begin making financial restitution to his ex-attorney, Hurwitz. "That is important to me. You will pay for the damage you caused," the judge told Young.