Crime & Safety

UPDATED: Pistons' Ben Wallace Sentenced to Probation, Community Service

NBA veteran will be allowed to travel while serving a one-year sentence on drunken driving and reduced weapons charges.

Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace will not spend any time in jail for his .

During a brief hearing this morning, Oakland County Circuit Judge Shalina Kumar sentenced the 37-year-old Bloomfield Hills resident to one year probation and ordered 30 hours of community service.

"You have all the resources in the world and this should not happen again," Kumar said. She also imposed nearly $2,500 in fines and court costs, but allowed the veteran NBA center to travel out-of-state and internationally during his probation.

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Wallace declined to address the judge prior to sentencing. Steve Fishman, his attorney, reminded Kumar that Wallace is typically soft-spoken off the basketball court cooperated fully with authorities.

"I think that Ben Wallace has shown how you handle yourself when you get into a situation," he explained. "He never shifted responsibility or tried to avoid this."

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Bloomfield Township police officers arrested Wallace about 2:30 a.m. Sept. 24 after witnessing his Cadillac driving erratically in the area of Telegraph and Long Lake roads, police reports said.

He failed multiple sobriety tests at the scene and initial Breathalyzer tests showed a blood-alcohol content of 0.14. He later told officers that the gun they found in a backpack in the vehicle belonged to his wife, and that he had it for protection while driving from Virginia to Michigan the previous day.

Wallace was initially charged with carrying a concealed weapon without a permit, a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. However, prosecutors reduced the weapons offense to a misdemeanor charge of being drunk with the gun as part of a plea agreement.

Assistant Oakland County Prosecutor objected to a pre-sentencing report recommendation for just court fines and requested one year probation. He said the prosecutor's office would not seek jail time in this case.

He also said that he had preliminary discussions with the Boys and Girls Club of Royal Oak as a possible venue for Wallace to serve the community service.

Fishman said Wallace has done basketball clinics in the past and would welcome the opportunity.

"We've got some experience with it," Fishman said. "It would make no sense not to take advantage of an NBA player's experience for that."


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