Rose McGowan will avoid jail time after she pleads no contest to a reduced drug charge
Rose McGowan will avoid jail time in Virginia after reaching a plea deal, according to a lawyer for the actress and activist.
Attorney James W. Hundley told The Times that the commonwealth had agreed to reduce the felony charge to a misdemeanor of possession of a controlled substance and, in exchange, McGowan would enter a plea of no contest.
McGowan was indicted in June 2018 by a Virginia grand jury on one felony count of cocaine possession. In January 2017, the actress’ personal belongings were left behind on a United Airlines flight arriving at Washington Dulles International Airport and tested positive for narcotics.
In February 2018, McGowan’s attorneys lobbied to have the charge thrown out, arguing that the “Charmed” actress was a victim of “the underhanded targeting” of Harvey Weinstein, whom McGowan publicly accused of rape during the rise of the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein attorney Ben Brafman called that allegation a “ludicrous claim.”
After McGowan enters her plea during a court date on Tuesday, the commonwealth will recommend a sentence that requires her to pay a fine.
“Ms. McGowan has accepted this agreement in order to spare her family, her friends, and her supporters the emotional strain of a criminal trial,” Hundley said in Wednesday’s statement. “The agreement brings this ordeal to an end and allows her to focus all of her energy on what matters most to her — creating a better world.”
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