James Stewart Arrest Update
James "Bubba" Stewart was once again in the spotlight Wednesday, but not for anything regarding the upcoming Supercross season.
The Yamaha Supercross/Motocross pilot was in the Osceola County Courthouse in Florida, pleading on a first-degree misdemeanor charge of using flashing lights on a vehicle.
Stewart pleaded no contest to the charge, and was sentenced to a $500 fine, a year probation and 75 hours of community service, court papers show. Pleading no contest means Stewart neither admited or disputed the charge.
This is a far-less charge than Stewart was initially charged with, which was a felony-charge of impersonating an officer. This felony charged was dropped to the misdeamenor charge due to Stewart not having a previous record.
The criminal incident occurred March 28 when Stewart and a passenger were traveling in a 2008 Toyota Tundra on Florida’s Highway 417 in Orlando. Stewart allegedly used a red and blue police-type light to slow down a vehicle on the highway, and reportedly impersonated a police officer.
But in the car were two off-duty police officers, and "no confrontation or exchange of words between the officers and Stewart occurred."
The Yamaha rider was also "in street clothes and never exited his vehicle during the incident," the San Manuel Yamaha stated.
Stewart and his passenger were then pulled over at Orlando International Airport, where they "fully cooperated with police."
In other Stewart news, Joe Gibbs Racing Yamaha team (JGRMX) extended James Stewart’s contract in October, the Floridan signing a "multi-year" extension. In 2011, Stewart, who has two AMA Supercross titles and one in AMA Motocross, finished fourth overall in AMA Supercross, but took the AMA Motocross season off.
Stewart will debut with the Toyota/Yamaha/JGRMX Team at the opening round of the 2012 AMA Supercross Championship on Jan. 7, 2012 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif.
