Clint Benson is facing a sentence of up to seven years on the criminal charges.
Clint Benson (Somerset County Prosecutor's Office)SOMERVILLE -- Clint Benson, son of ex-Giant Brad Benson, pleaded guilty Monday to third-degree assault by auto, fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets, possession of drug paraphernalia and several motor-vehicle offenses stemming from a 2013 incident in which he struck a man from behind with his pickup truck and fled the scene.
Clint Benson, who was scheduled to go to trial in April, entered an open guilty plea in Somerset County Superior Court in Somerville before Judge Robert B. Reed. The open guilty plea means the judge's discretion during sentencing will not be limited by the plea agreement.
The judge set March 24 as the sentencing date.
Clint Benson, 23, of Hillsborough, is facing a maximum of seven years on the criminal charges. Had he gone to trial, Benson was facing a maximum sentence of 26 years in prison if found guilty on all criminal charges, the judge said.
Brad Benson leaves the courtroom Monday. His son, Clint, is walking behind him. (Dave Hutchinson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)Clint Benson, who is out on bail, was accompanied by his father in court. He had been charged with aggravated assault, assault by auto, endangering an injured victim and weapons offenses. He's accused of hitting Flemington resident Richard Lachner with his Nissan Frontier pickup around 3 a.m. on March 17, 2013, on Woodfern Road in Branchburg.
In exchange for his guilty plea, Assistant Prosecutor Frank Kolodzieski has agreed to dismiss the charges of second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree possession of a weapon (his truck) for an unlawful purpose and third-degree endangering an injured victim.
The motor-vehicle offenses that Benson pleaded guilty to are driving while intoxicated, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless driving, failure to report a motor-vehicle accident and possession of an open container of alcohol.
Charges of careless driving, failure to maintain a lane, failure to yield the right a way, misuse of dealer tags and a second reckless driving and failure to report an accident charge were also dismissed.
Kolodzieski said that Lachner, who has filed a lawsuit against Clint Benson, is in agreement with the plea deal. Kolodzieski said the state decided to offer the deal because Somerset County Superior Court Judge Julie M. Marino ruled to supress Clint Benson's statement to police immediately after the crime.
"We think the most prudent thing to do is resolve this case," said Kolodzieski.
Last April, Clint Benson rejected a plea deal from the prosecution of a seven-year prison sentence. He would have had to serve nearly six years before becoming eligible for parole, Kolodzieski said at the time.
The alleged hit-and-run occurred after Lachner confronted Clint Benson, who was seated in his truck, about his reckless driving, authorities have said. As Lachner was walking back toward a restaurant, Clinton Benson reportedly struck him from behind with his pickup truck and continued driving south on Woodfern Road, authorities have said.
Lachner was later treated for internal injuries, a fractured skull, a broken hand and cuts, authorities have said.
Clinton Benson was discovered a short distance away after he crashed his vehicle into a guardrail, leaving the truck inoperable, authorities have said. Prosecutors have said his blood alcohol content was 0.20 percent, more than twice the legal limit.
His father played with the Giants from 1978 to 1988 and won a Super Bowl in 1986.
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