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Lauri Peterson’s Son Is Out of Jail After Accepting Plea Deal in Attempted Murder Case
The RHOC alum's son was released after agreeing to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Lauri Peterson’s son Josh Waring has been released from jail after accepting a plea deal in his attempted murder case. According to People, The Real Housewives of Orange County alum’s child pled guilty to lesser charges in exchange for his release.
“Josh’s ordeal in jail nearly broke his spirit,” Josh’s attorney Joel Garson said in a statement to People. “We are grateful the prosecution team was able to carefully consider all of the problems it had with the case, as well as the equities in favor of Josh and offer us a plea deal that got Josh out immediately.”
Josh was arrested in 2016 and charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection to a shooting in Costa Mesa, California, during which one man was shot but survived. He remained in custody while awaiting trial, and both he and Laurie maintained his innocence throughout that time.
According to court records, Josh has now accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to counts of evading a peace officer, assault with a firearm, hit-and-run with property damage and battery, as The Blast and TMZ reported.
Josh’s stint in the Orange County jail has been marred with controversy. In 2019, Garson tried to win early release for Josh after it was revealed that authorities were eavesdropping on his conversations from jail with his lawyers. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office said the recordings were made in error. Josh later filed a lawsuit against Orange County for $1.4 million, although it’s unclear if that case remains active.
After accepting the plea deal, Josh was awarded time served and released on Friday, March 6.
“He was looking at a potential sentence of 65 years to life, and getting out today will mark the beginning of a new life for him,” Garson explained, per People. “Because of Josh’s case, and with a very patient judge, we were able to expose the illegal practice of taping attorney-client telephones calls here in Orange County by the Sheriff’s Department and reveal the cruel treatment of inmates by the Sheriff’s Department. We only hope the lessons of Josh’s case will help other inmates.”
Josh is parent to one daughter, Kennady, who Lauri adopted back in 2015.
