Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz pleads guilty to gun possession and secures no-jail deal
In January, Cage the Elephant singer Matt Shultz was arrested for illegally possessing two loaded guns. Now, he has secured a no-jail plea deal.
The singer, who has led the band since 2006, was caught with a loaded gun by a hotel worker in New York. Shultz reportedly wandered into the ground-floor toilets of Lower Manhattan’s Bowery Hotel holding a firearm and appeared intoxicated.
When police were called to the hotel, they discovered two weapons and a collection of Polaroid photos displaying the guns, including an image of a hand brandishing one at the camera.
Shultz’s lawyer Sanford Talkin explained to a judge that the guns were purchased legally elsewhere but not registered to the singer in New York. According to the New York Post, he has now pleaded guilty to the charges, with the judge asking, “Are you pleading guilty because you are, in fact, guilty?” Shultz replied, “Yes, your honour.”
He pleaded guilty to charges of attempted criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm.
If Shultz wants to avoid prison, he must attend every court hearing and “stay out of trouble for one year”. When Shultz has followed these rules, he can withdraw the guilty pleas. Then, he will be sentenced to a one-year conditional release for a misdemeanour charge, stated the judge.
Unfortunately for Shultz, failure to adhere to these demands could result in seven years behind bars.
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