The Real Housewives of Orange County alum Lauri Peterson had her fair share of troubles with son Josh Waring on the show, and sadly, those problems continued even after her family’s departure from the franchise.
Today, Josh is reportedly set to be released from jail almost four years after he was arrested in connection with a 2016 shooting that left a man wounded.
According to the LA Times, Josh has accepted a plea deal that would sentence him to time served. The case was supposed to enter a plea agreement yesterday, but it was delayed so the shooting victim could make a statement at the hearing on Friday.
It’s currently not clear what charge Josh will plea to in the case. He was charged on three counts of attempted murder for the shooting of a 35-year-old man as well as attempted premeditated murder. Two other people managed to escape injury in the drive-by shooting. Josh was facing life in prison if convicted in his trial, which was set to begin next week.
“He will be pleading guilty to lesser felonies, and we appreciate the district attorney’s office taking another look at the case on the eve of trial and allowing us to come up with a disposition that is fair to everyone involved,” said Josh’s attorney, Joel Garson. “Josh is looking forward to getting out and restarting his life.”
Josh has always maintained his innocence in the case, stating that he was not the shooter while also alleging that the actual shooter was a police informant who was being protected by cops. The shooting occurred after an altercation took place at a house that Josh visited to buy drugs. The allegation is that he later returned with a gun and fired shots from his car.
During a 2018 appearance on Megan Kelly Today, Lauri and Josh’s attorney explained why they believed in his innocence. They claimed Josh was in a white car that day and the victim had originally stated the shots came from a blue car before later recanting his story.
Lauri also revealed why she was unwilling to post the $1 million dollar bail for Josh’s release.
“My commitment with Josh from day one when he started using drugs was, I will back you financially for anything that you need for rehabilitation,” Lauri explained. “But we all know that addicts, there’s a criminal element to it… Just purchasing drugs and possessing drugs, it’s a criminal act. So with that, of course, he’s been arrested many times and I told him I won’t help him with that but if he’s ready to get clean, I will put whatever funds into that.”
Josh’s case has garnered many headlines while he’s been in jail. Just last October, he was attacked by another inmate, leading him to allege the deputies were negligent to protect him or were possibly conspiring to get him hurt. The county denies these allegations, and he was later moved to a Santa Ana jail after he agreed to drop a bid for lower bail. However, he still cited mistreatment by guards who allegedly failed to help him wean off narcotics with proper medication dosage and neglected his request for treatment for dental problems.
After witnessing all the issues Josh has faced — on the show and off — hopefully there’s a chance he can move in the right direction to turn his life around.
Photo Credit: Milla Cochran/startraksphoto.com, Costa Mesa Police