Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Suspected Racist in Plea Bargain for Road Violation

A suspected white supremacist ended a controversial legal battle over his arrest for a minor driving offense by agreeing to a plea bargain Monday under which he was sentenced to 35 days in County Jail.

Jace Edwards, 18, of Canyon Country, pleaded guilty in Newhall Municipal Court to driving with a suspended license in May, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Dan Damon. Edwards, who committed the same offense in March, pleaded guilty to violating his probation, Damon said.

In addition to the jail term, Edwards was ordered to perform 17 days of community service and serve two years of probation.

Deputy Public Defender James Racusin said Edwards consented to the plea bargain because he might have served more time in jail waiting for the case to go to trial than he will under the jail term agreed upon.

Edwards was arrested May 17 when Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies spotted him driving near Canyon High School and found three knives in his car. Informants told deputies Edwards was part of a “white power” group that helped incite two racially motivated brawls involving 20 to 30 youths near the school May 10, although he did not take part in the fights.

Racusin said Edwards joined the group for companionship, but dropped out about three weeks before the disputes.

The district attorney’s office and Edwards’ lawyer had disputed his bail, which was originally set at $500,000. Edwards’ parents and lawyer complained the bail was excessively high and maintained prosecutors were trying to hold Edwards to build a case implicating him in the brawl. Deputies argued the bail was sufficient because he was a flight risk and was on probation. In addition, he had claimed to have $600,000 from a court settlement that would enable him to make a high bail.

No charges were filed against Edwards for possessing the knives. His bail had been reduced Thursday to $100,000, which his parents and attorney also maintained was too high.