Another day, another former Basketball Wives star caught up in a messy court case. First, it was Brittish Williams catching 15 felonies for financial fraud. Now, it’s OG cast member Royce Reed who’s landed in hot water for a child neglect case.
Fortunately for Royce, her day in court turned out a little bit better than it did for Brittish. While Brittish wound up with a four-year prison sentence, Royce got lucky, and the judge spared her. She narrowly avoided jail time altogether, and Radar Online reported all of the details from her court case.
A slap on the wrist
Last year, Royce was charged with child neglect, a third-degree felony that can carry a prison sentence of up to five years. It stemmed from a situation with her then-14-year-old son she shares with Dwight Howard.
The court said their son had a sexually inappropriate interaction with another child. He had been instructed not to hang around people who were more than two years younger than him because of a previous incident. When he violated that rule, they punished Royce for allowing it to happen.
Royce pleaded not guilty to the charge, but after over a year of back-and-forth in court, she and her legal team have come to an agreement that will keep her from serving jail time. Instead, she’ll complete a community service program and take some classes, presumably about how not to neglect your child. If she fails to complete the program, the court can re-evaluate.
A letter obtained by the outlet said, “If the defendant successfully completes this program of rehabilitation the case will be disposed of by an order of dismissal or a nolle prosequi. If the defendant fails to meet the program’s objectives the case will be re-evaluated, and this office will take appropriate action.”
There’s no word on exactly how much community service Royce is going to have to perform. She has a court date coming up on December 6 which should solidify the details of the arrangement. In the meantime, Royce is probably somewhere celebrating that she found a way to stay out of prison.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK ROYCE’S PUNISHMENT FITS THE CRIME? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HER WHEN SHE WAS ON BASKETBALL WIVES?
