Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer has entered a plea of not guilty in his driving under the influence case, according to his attorney.
Budenholzer entered the plea in Fulton County State Court last week in writing with the court and Judge Diane E. Bessen. The court has a scheduled plea and arraignment hearing tomorrow at 9 a.m. With the filing of the plea and two motions, neither Budenholzer nor his attorney Michael Hawkins will attend. The plea and motions were filed with the court on July 22.
Budenholzer faces misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence alcohol less safe and defective or no taillights from an arrest Aug. 28, 2013 after being stopped by police at 10:30 p.m. at 10th Street and Crescent Avenue in Midtown.
The case was moved to Fulton County State Court at the request of the prosecutor’s office during the initial hearing in Atlanta Municipal Court in October 2013. The statute of limitations was due to expire in three months when the case was placed on the court docket in May.
Budenholzer faces up to a year in jail, as much as a $1,000 fine, a driver’s license suspension and community services for a first-time offense. If Budenholzer is found guilty, he would also face a likely two-game suspension from the NBA. Current Bucks coach Jason Kidd was suspended for the first two games of the 2013-14 season while with the Nets after he pleaded guilty to driving while impaired.
Budenholzer will serve as an assistant for Team Africa in the NBA Africa Game 2015 on Aug. 1. He will serve under Gregg Popovich for the game against Team World in Johannesburg, South Africa.
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