The Santa Maria Times has published an article updating the story of Jonathan Pendragon:
Claude Douglas Yarbrough, whose stage name is Jonathan Pendragon, pleaded no contest Tuesday to two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon for the July 8 shooting.
The 55-year-old magician will be sentenced to a year in jail April 13.
Yarbrough’s no-contest plea also results in two strikes being added to his record, and he could also face up to five years of probation, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
A no-contest plea is similar to a guilty plea in felony cases, although it is not an admission of guilt.
Yarbrough’s attorney, Ilan Funke-Bilu, said he didn’t know exactly why his client chose to change his plea and not proceed with a trial, but he assumed it had something to do with Yarbrough’s feelings for his wife.
She (Charlotte) was present in court Tuesday, when her husband of 33 years apologized to her for any harm he may have caused her.
Funke-Bilu said he has never had a client apologize to the victim at the time of a plea, which he believes shows Yarbrough is remorseful.
“It was something that he wanted to say,” Funke-Bilu said, adding the request by his client caught him off-guard. “It wasn’t something that I told him to say.”
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