Randy and Evi Quaid Accept Plea, Avoid Jail Time

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Randy and Evi Quaid Accept Plea, Avoid Jail Time


Randy Quaid and his wife Evi have avoided additional jail time in their hotel bill-skipping case, People.com reported on April 28. A judge in Santa Barbara Superior Court accepted a plea deal from the couple behind closed doors.

The judge dismissed all charges against the 59-year-old actor, while his 46-year-old wife pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor of defrauding an innkeeper. She will have a year to perform 240 hours of community service. Evi said she will work with the homeless in Los Angeles, and will develop a theater program for them.

Randy said that he and Evi were treated “a bit more harshly by authorities because of my celebrity status. Usually, with celebrities, they tend to try to make an example of you.” Outside of the courthouse, he also said that he learned that “you pay your bills when you leave, and I suppose that’s something we can work on in the future.”

The couple was arrested last September in Texas for failing to pay a more than $10,000 in hotel bill at a Santa Barbara resort. If convicted, they would have faced three felonies. Randy and Evi both spent time in jail for missing earlier court dates, and were recently declared fugitives. When they arrived to court on Monday, they were detained for three hours, but were released on $100,000 bail each.

In their defense, the Quaids said their arrest was a misunderstanding. They maintained that they thought they could pay their bill by mail, while prosecutors stated they gave the hotel invalid credit cards.

Written by: Karen Benardello