NewsLincecum reaches plea, awaits approval
Giants righty would pay fine for paraphernalia infractionBy Jim Street / MLB.com
11/06/09 11:44 PM EST
If a Clark County, Wash., judge signs off on a plea agreement reached Friday between Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum and county prosecutors, the All-Star pitcher will have a drug possession charge against him dropped.Under the agreement, Lincecum would pay a $250 fine relating to his possession of a marijuana pipe and a $122 fine for speeding, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Grant Hansen, a prosecuting attorney for the county, told the Chronicle that Lincecum will not have to go to court as long as he sends in the fine. But the judge still must sign off on the plea agreement. If not, he could order Lincecum to appear in court for a Dec. 22 hearing.
Lincecum, the National League Cy Young Award winner in 2008 and former University of Washington star, was pulled over for speeding on Interstate 5 in the town of Hazel Dell, Wash., about four miles north of the Oregon border, on Oct. 30.
An officer approached Lincecum's 2006 Mercedes and smelled marijuana as the pitcher rolled down his window. Schatzel said Lincecum immediately complied with a request to hand over the drug and a marijuana pipe from the car's center console.
The amount measured was 3.3 grams, which is considered a small amount for personal use and well below the maximum of 40 grams before possession is classified differently and carries a more severe penalty.
Hansen said Lincecum's celebrity had nothing to do with this disposition, which is standard for a first-time offender for misdemeanor marijuana possession who cooperates with police, according to the Chronicle.
"Any Joe Blow would get [this deal]," Hansen said. "The way we see it, we can do something to him or we can do something for him. If we can give him a little leniency the first time, in my opinion, it goes further for being law-compliant in the future than if we kick him in the teeth."
Technically, Lincecum agreed to plead guilty to a charge of buying or selling drug paraphernalia, which drops the crime to an infraction, in return for the drug possession charge being dropped.
Jim Street is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
