Golden – Former Rockies pitcher Denny Neagle has agreed to plead guilty to patronizing a prostitute, staving off a trial that would have begun Monday.
Neagle’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, went to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and struck the deal, DA spokeswoman Pam Russell said today.
Under the agreement, Neagle will plead guilty to patronizing a prostitute, a class-3 misdemeanor, instead of pleading guilty to soliciting a prostitute.
The petty offense of patronizing a prostitute is punishable by a jail sentence of up to six months and/or a $500 fine. Soliciting a prostitute carries the same possible jail sentence and/or a $750 fine.
Neagle is accused of paying $40 to Jill Russell of Denver for oral sex. Neagle and Jill Russell were stopped at about 1:15 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2004, on West 14th Avenue near Ames Street in Lakewood.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
