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TagsBY ALICIA CRUZ
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
In an attempt to avoid jail time for his latest brush with the law, season three "Jersey Shore" cast member Ronnie Ortiz-Magro applied for a pre-trial Intervention program that is contingent upon his acceptance and successful completion of the program.
The Asbury Park Press has reported that Ortiz-Magro's attorney, Joseph A. Raia, struck the deal with Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Hillary Bryce that will enable the 25-year-old Bronx man to travel to Italy next month for a new taping of "Jersey Shore." Ortiz-Magro has a June 6 court appearance before Superior Court Judge Stephanie M. Wauters where he will learn if he has been accepted into the pre-trial program.
According to the NJ Courts website, pre-trial intervention affords a defendant, generally a first-time offender, with an alternative to prison. PTI’s rehabilitative model addresses the therapeutic needs of a defendant and offers early intervention services the court believes will deter future criminal behavior. PTI also emphasizes that social, cultural, and economic conditions often result in a defendant's decision to commit crime.
Pretrial Program participants do not admit guilt in the crime they have been charged with, but are required to remain trouble-free for the duration, which is usually one year. Upon successful completion, the defendant avoids a criminal record.
Ortiz-Magro was arrested in September 2009, in Seaside Heights following the infamous "one-shot" episode of "Jersey Shore" Season One where he punched Stephen Izzo, rendering him unconscious and later bragged about the incident. Ortiz-Magro, who dated fellow cast member Sammi Giancola of Hazlet, assaulted Izzo after he directed some trash-talk towards Ortiz-Magro when the group left the "Karma" nightclub, CBS reported.
In the video footage, Ortiz-Magro runs towards Izzo, but we do not actually see him KO the 27-year-old Bayville resident. The video footage does show Ortiz-Magro boasting, "That's one shot. That's one shot, kid," and Izzo lying face down on the ground unconscious.
During a previous court appearance, Ortiz-Magro's attorney told the judge that his client was only defending himself after the victim attacked Ortiz-Magro. However, in a pending civil lawsuit against the show's producers, MTV, and Ortiz-Magro, Izzo claims the punch was unprovoked.
