SANFORD, Fla. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — George Zimmerman is expected to enter a no contest plea to resolve a misdemeanor charge of stalking a private investigator in the latest run-in with the law for the neighborhood watch leader who killed Trayvon Martin.
Court documents show Zimmerman on Tuesday planned to enter the no contest plea in absentia, meaning he won’t be present at the courthouse in Sanford, Florida.
Under such a plea, a defendant doesn’t admit guilt, and a conviction is withheld if the conditions of the plea are met.
Zimmerman was accused of sending threatening messages to a private investigator who had contacted him about a documentary on Martin. Th series is being produced by rapper Jay Z.
Martin is the black, unarmed teenager who Zimmerman fatally shot in 2012. Zimmerman, who identifies as Hispanic, was acquitted of all charges under Florida’s stand your ground law.
In 2013, Zimmerman was armed when he was stopped for speeding in North Texas. He was given a warning and allowed to leave after being pulled over while traveling through Kaufman County, about 20 miles east of Dallas.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
