In October 2018, Ray Donovan star Marion “Pooch” Hall found himself in a huge amount of legal trouble due to an incident of drunk driving that threatened to end with some jail time. Hall was arrested and given a DUI, but his charges did not end there. Not only because was he driving drunk, but he also had his young son with him when he was pulled over. So, he also received felony child abuse charges.
When Hall was driving shortly before he was arrested, a witness saw his toddler son placed in his lap, according to TMZ . The child should have been strapped into a child seat in the back of the car. However, Hall had his son simply sitting in the driver’s seat with little protection in case of an accident, which was certainly a cause for concern.
The witness not only saw that Hall had his toddler son sitting in his lap and not in a child’s safety seat; the witness also watched as Hall swerved off the road, lost control of the car, and then hit a parked car. Once police came to the scene, Hall was given a breathalyzer test. Hall’s blood alcohol level was nearly three times over California’s legal limit at 0.025. Hall was arrested for both felony child abuse and driving while intoxicated and given a $100,000 bond. Hall was released after he posted bond, according to Essence .
When Hall first entered his plea, he decided on selecting “not guilty” for all the counts he received. However, Hall then decided to enter a 60-day rehab program voluntarily, realizing he needed to kick his alcoholism. Hall completed his rehab program successfully, and Hall’s actions seemed to have impressed the authorities who were handling his case. So, the Ray Donovan actor was offered a plea deal that would severely lessen the initial charges and time he was facing.
‘Ray Donovan’ Star Pooch Hall Strikes Plea Deal in DUI, Child Abuse Case “Ray Donovan” star Marion “Pooch” Hall will not do any jail time for his alarming DUI … which ended with him wrecking his car while his baby was in th… https://t.co/gzDRuo5xU5 #cosmetics #beauty #social pic.twitter.com/aNyakWgQbW
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Prior to being offered the plea deal, Hall’s charges could have landed him in prison for up to six years. However, the plea deal would keep him out of prison and focused on his recovery. If Hall pleads no contest, he will receive no felony or child abuse charges, and his felony DUI charge will become a misdemeanor, according to The Toronto Sun . Hall would then need to complete three years of probation, and a three-month alcohol abuse class. Also, to have the felony child abuse charges dropped, Hall also needs to complete a parenting class that lasts a full year. Hall agreed to the deal and entered a no contest plea to the misdemeanor DUI charges .
