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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, December 14, 2009

Sentencing delayed for Wahiawa man in abuse case


By Jim Dooley
Advertiser Staff Writer

The sentencing of former high school football standout Rico Newman was delayed this afternoon after a prosecutor said Newman has violated the terms of his plea agreement.

Newman was originally charged with raping and kidnaping his girlfriend but later was allowed to enter a deferred guilty plea to charges of abuse of a household member and unlawful imprisonment.
Part of the plea agreement, reached after Newman and his now-pregnant girlfriend married, was that he attend college full-time on the Mainland.
But Newman only attended college for a week before dropping out and returning home, Deputy Prosecutor Leilani Tan said today.
Since returning, Newman as been “doing nothing,” Tan said.
“He has not been working, he has not continued his anger management (class),” she said.
“My understanding is that he’s now on disability for what he claims is a learning disability,” Tan told Circuit Judge Richard Pollack.
“He and his now-wife who was the victim in this case are now on welfare (and) they are not going to parenting classes,” Tan said.
“I think what Mr. Newman has demonstrated to the court is that he’s not really taking this that seriously,” she said.
“I think that Mr. Newman’s performance thus far is dismal,” Tan said.
Defense lawyer Jerry Villanueva asked for a two-month delay in sentencing so that his client can demonstrate that he is turning his life around,
Newman, who played football at Leilehua High School, has a scholarship interview scheduled with the University of Montana football program, Villanueva said.
And he has a job possibility at the airport which is contingent on having a felony-free criminal record, the lawyer said.
Newman told the judge he also has plans to attend Leeward Community College next semester.
And he also intends to resume anger management classes, Villanueva said.
Pollack delayed sentencing for a month but ordered Newman to provide paperwork supporting his assertions about his school and work plans.