Lauren Cook Charged With Felony

November 11th UPDATE: According to this article, Lauren has reached a plea deal after getting charged with a felony. As part of the agreement, she will participate in the pre-trial diversion program which she qualifies for due to her “clean criminal record for non-traffic offenses”. Lauren is expected to rejoin Nebraska’s volleyball team soon.

Lauren’s Statement:

“I truly am very sorry. I’ve let a lot of people down — my parents, my teammates and the University of Nebraska. I’ve always worked hard for things in my life, and I’m going to work hard for this. I’m going to work hard to regain the trust, and hope that one day people accept my apology and be able to trust me again as a student, as an athlete and as a driver.”

In case you’re wondering she is still allowed to play, “There’s nothing in the university’s student code of conduct or other regulations precluded a student in Cook’s situation from playing once they are in the diversion program.” according to Athletic director Tom Osborne. He also added that he consulted with other university officials about Cook’s case and concluded she could still play.

“We feel that no student at the university who has taken the steps that Lauren has taken, and has been charged with what she has been charged with, would be disallowed to participate in extracurricular activities. We feel that, in view of the fact that she did sit out in last week’s games, while the process worked itself forward, that she would be allowed to play.” he added.

This is a good break for Lauren.

THOUGHTS?

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November 9th UPDATE: According to this article, Lauren has been charged with FELONY.

Quote from the article:

“A Lancaster County Court Judge charged Husker Volleyball Player Lauren Cook with a felony for leaving the scene of an injury accident in late October. Cook appeared in Court Tuesday morning with only her attorney. The charge comes with a possible penalty of up to five years in prison, $10,000 fine and a license suspension for up to 15 years. Cook applied for pretrial diversion. If accepted, charges against her would be dismissed.

The program is available to first-time offenders charged with certain types of crimes in Lancaster County. Cook will have to comply with the terms and conditions of the pretrial diversion program. She will be placed under certain restrictions similar to probation. The diversion could last up to a year, during which Cook will not be allowed to drive.

She has until November 28th to be accepted into the program, otherwise she will be back in Lancaster County Court. Cook’s attorney, Terry Dougherty expects the program will accept Cook within the week.”

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This doesn’t look good for Lauren.

The star setter from UCLA University of Nebraska was arrested yesterday on suspicion of leaving the scene of an injury accident and ticketed for driving under suspension after a motorcyclist broke a leg. This is Lauren’s 6th driving violation since 2007.

Here are some important details from this article we’ve found:

*Cook’s car clipped a motorcyclist who was stopped at the side of a road in north Lincoln, Nebraska.

* She called police eight minutes after the accident, and she was contacted about a half mile from the accident scene, her car disabled because of a shredded front tire.

*She was in Lancaster County Jail for three hours before an unidentified person posted $500 bond.

Lauren hasn’t been charged and she is scheduled to appear in court today. The article also states that Cook leaving the scene of an injury accident is a felony punishable by a maximum of five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.

Her dad, John Cook, who is also her volleyball coach has released this statement:

“She stopped and called 911, tried to do the right thing. No alcohol, no drugs, she wasn’t texting. In no way is this an excuse, but an accident happened and we’ll let the legal process go through that. It’s days like this I wish my kid was a sorority girl and then this probably wouldn’t be a big deal.”

As of press time. it is unknown if her school will suspend her or what kind of punishment would be taken against her.

May she just panicked?

This is a very tough time for her and we hope she finds the light at the end of the tunnel. Learn and accept the consequences.

(images: huskers.com)