An L.A. judge ordered Prison Break star Lane Garrison to a correctional facility for diagnostic psychiatric evaluation instead of sentencing him to hard time on Thursday.
“We don’t have all the information,” Superior Court Judge Eldon Fox ruled on the vehicular manslaughter charge resulting from a car accident last Dec. 2 that left a 17-year-old Beverly Hills boy dead. “I intend to remand Mr. Garrison today to the Department of Corrections for diagnostics.”
Garrison’s lawyers had requested Judge Fox submit Garrison to 90 days of psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is a suitable candidate for probation, which was opposed by the D.A., according to TMZ.
The D.A. preferred Garrison spend four years behind bars instead, TMZ sources said.
Garrison pleaded guilty May 21 to vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence and two other alcohol-related charges, after he hit a tree, which killed Vahagn Seitan. Two other 15-year-old girls were in the car, but suffered minor injuries.
In addition to manslaughter, the TV star also admitted that he provided alcohol to minors and that he registered a blood alcohol level of over .15 the night of the crash. Police also said after the incident that Garrison had cocaine in his system.
In court Thursday Chen Sagi, who was also in Garrison’s car, testified that “Vahagn went with us because he didn’t want the two girls to go with a strange guy [Lane],” she said according to TMZ. She added, “It is surprising that I felt guilt.”
So did Garrison’s star status have anything to do with the ruling? Not according to Judge Fox, who said, “The fact that you may have some notoriety, I don’t really care.”
