Comedian Katt Williams, who has had multiple run-ins with the law this year, has been banned from two Georgia counties as part of a negotiated plea deal, his attorney said.
Williams, a former Hall County resident, pleaded no contest Thursday to some charges in connection with an alleged assault of his bodyguard, attorney Drew Findling said.
Williams and two acquaintances allegedly held and assaulted bodyguard Corey Dixon on Feb. 28, the day before Williams was arrested on a separate misdemeanor battery charge in Hall, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
» What happened to Katt Williams: Timeline of arrests in 2016
“It’s our understanding that Mr. Williams was encouraging our victim, Mr. Dixon, to engage in some criminal activity in the Atlanta area,” former Hall sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Bailes said at the time.
One acquaintance, Tatiana Smith, 24, allegedly choked Dixon and assaulted him with a baseball bat.
Deputies executed a search of Williams’ home and found large quantities of marijuana and several firearms, Bailes said.
Williams was charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, false imprisonment and felony possession of marijuana. He was indicted in March on those charges and others.
The Hall County District Attorney’s Office dismissed the aggravated assault and firearm possession charges as part of the negotiated plea, Findling said. The false imprisonment and terroristic threats charges were reduced to simple assault.
However, Williams was banished from Hall and Dawson counties and ordered to pay $7,500 in restitution to the victim and perform 100 hours of community service, District Attorney Ray Mayer told the Gainesville Times. Williams will be on probation for five years as part of the deal. If he complies with the terms of his probation, the probation and the ban could end as soon as two years.
The ban extends to Dawson County because it is part of the same judicial circuit as Hall County. Williams had moved from Hall County before Thursday’s plea deal became official, said Findling, who would not disclose Williams’ new residence.
If Williams abides by the court’s conditions, the marijuana charge also will be tossed.
Williams still faces charges in connection with other incidents across the metro area. Of the other situations, Findling said he is “approaching things methodically, and whatever happens happens.”
Williams was most recently jailed in September on a charge of criminal damage to property in the second degree.
The legal problems have not hampered Williams’ career. His current U.S. tour includes dates at such arenas as Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., and Philips Arena in Atlanta.
“His career doesn’t have one barrier to it now,” Findling said of Williams.
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