Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is working on his release point while out on work-release.
The Los Angeles Lakers guard is playing with the team this month while serving a 25-day jail sentence, The Los Angeles Times’ Tania Ganguli reported Thursday, citing court and jail officials and court documents. Caldwell-Pope pleaded guilty on Dec. 13 to a probation violation and is serving his sentence at the Seal Beach Police Department Detention Center under a work-release program through which he can leave the facility for Lakers’ games and practices.
Caldwell-Pope’s complicated work situation stems from his March 29 arrest in Michigan on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of allowing a person to operate his vehicle under the influence and was sentenced to 12 months’ probation. The plea agreement required Caldwell-Pope to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, but he missed a number of them, leading to his latest guilty plea and jail stint.
Caldwell-Pope’s new jail sentence prevents him from leaving California, which explains why he missed last Thursday’s Lakers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game, Wednesday night’s Lakers vs. Houston Rockets game and will miss next Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberworlves.
“This is a legal matter, stemming from an incident that occurred last season while Kentavious was a member of another NBA team (the Detroit Pistons),” the Lakers said Saturday in a statement. “The Los Angeles Lakers are abiding by the terms of a program for Kentavious that were established for him by a court in the state of Michigan. As such, we will have no further comment at this time.”
Those convicted can pay $120 a day to stay at the Seal Beach facility, which the Los Angeles Times describes as “a refuge for wealthy offenders.” Those not on work release can pay $100 to stay there. The Lakers are paying Caldwell-Pope $18 million this season, so it only makes sense for him to choose the first option.
