“Nothing like this will never happen again,” Shultz’s attorney tells Rolling Stone
Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz will not face jail time due to a plea deal following his arrest for possession of two loaded guns back in January.
On Friday, Shultz pleaded guilty to three charges — two felonies, one misdemeanor — of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a firearm, and criminal possession of a weapon in exchange for avoiding time in jail, his attorney Sanford Talking confirmed to Rolling Stone.
“Matt has worked hard to put this case behind him. He appreciates the opportunity to prove himself,” Talking tells Rolling Stone. “Nothing like this will never happen again. He can move forward in his life and with his music.”
Judge Cori Weston told the musician that if he “stays out of trouble for one year,” he’ll be able to wipe his record and withdraw his guilty plea on the two felony counts, therefore reducing his sentence to one-year conditional release for the misdemeanor, his lawyer confirmed.
If Shultz does not follow the guidelines, he could face seven years in prison, per New York Post.
According to Daily Mail, a hotel employee reportedly saw the singer carrying a handgun into one of the restrooms, before calling 911. (A manager for the Bowery told Rolling Stone in January they “weren’t sure who that is” before hanging up the phone.)
The musician was charged with criminal possession of firearms after police found Shultz’s guns — a Sig Sauer and a Smith and Wesson, per Daily Mail — inside of his room at the Bowery Hotel in Lower Manhattan. He was arrested on Jan. 5, and spent the night behind bars at the 9th precinct, Rolling Stone confirmed.