Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty on Thursday to a single count of harassment under an agreement with prosecutors sparing him any jail time while disposing of a criminal case that stemmed from allegations by several women of sexual misconduct.
The second-degree harassment citation, classified as a non-criminal violation in New York state’s penal code, akin to trespassing, will remain on Gooding’s record, but his guilty plea in April to a more serious criminal misdemeanor of forcible touching will be expunged, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney said.
Gooding, 54, was permitted to withdraw his earlier plea after prosecutors affirmed in court that had met the terms of April’s conditional plea deal by remaining in court-ordered alcohol and behavior modification treatment for six months with no further arrests….