Donte Stallworth DUI case settled with little jail time

June 16, 2:13 PMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

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It was reported that Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Donte Stallworth started serving a 30 day jail sentence right after pleading guilty in court today to a charge of DUI manslaughter.  He took full responsibility for the death of Mario Reyes, who was struck and killed by Stallworth in March while crossing a busy causeway in Florida.

After Stallworth's incarceration he will serve a two-year term of house arrest similar to the 60 day in-home term given to Michael Vick. His probation term is eight years from the time he is released from his home confinement.

Stallworth has lost his driver's license and can apply for re-instatement for among other things, transportation back and forth to work but not until at least five years has passed.

It was also announced that he had come to an agreement with the family of his victim to settle their claim for damages. The family apparently wanted the matter resolved quickly and Stallworth's attorneys were able to wrap up both the criminal and civil matters in what seems to be record time.

Stallworth didn't receive a longer jail sentence for his crime as a result of the prosecutor's determination that the victim was also at fault for his own fate. Florida law looks for all factors that might have caused the accident and doesn't exempt the victim in that calculation.

Mr. Reyes was reportedly rushing to catch a bus after his work-day was complete and wasn't in a crosswalk at the time he was struck by Stallworth. At the time of the incident, Stallworth told police that in addition to attempting to avoid Reyes, he flashed his lights to get the attention of the victim as the car got close to colliding with him.

Stallworth's attorney, David Cornwell said that he is in constant contact with the NFL about his client and expects that the league will make a decision about potential punishment for Stallworth.

For more about the incident, please read, "What if the DUI wasn't relevant in the case of Stallworth?"   and "Stallworth may avoid DUI manslaughter punishment."   and NFL Examiner Reid Kerr's report on the Stallworh matter.