Maple Leafs' Bell sentenced to jail

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Maple Leafs forward Mark Bell will serve at least four months in jail next summer after pleading no contest to charges stemming from a car accident last year.
Bell was sentenced to six months in jail after pleading no contest to drunk driving with injury and hit-and-run charges but Assistant District Attorney Cindy Seeley Hendrickson told TSN that the former San Jose Shark could be released after serving two-thirds of his sentence. As part of the plea agreement, the hit-and-run charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanour.
Bell was facing a maximum of three years and eight months in prison.
"It is standard procedure in these cases for defendants to receive what are known as good time work credits," Hendrickson said. "It applies to everyone, so there is no special treatment in this case."
Bell will be expected to return to San Jose and begin serving his sentence once his NHL season has ended. If he is granted early release, it is possible he will not miss any regular season games.

Maple Leafs General Manager John Ferguson Jr. released a statement showing support for Bell:
“The Toronto Maple Leafs have been aware of the charges against Mark Bell, which occurred in September of 2006. The club has been following the legal proceedings closely since he became a member of our team this past June.
“Mark has acknowledged the error in judgment that he made. He has expressed to the court and to us that he is deeply sorry and that he will accept the punishment resulting from the legal proceedings. Mark has accepted responsibility for his actions, and the Leafs organization will support Mark through this challenging time.”
Bell must also pay restitution to the other driver involved in the accident, who required staples to repair wounds to his head suffered in the crash.
''This was a fair settlement to a difficult case,'' Bell's defence lawyer, Ken Robinson told Associated Press.
Prosecutors charged that Bell crashed a rented car into a pickup truck at a stop sign around 1am pt and then allegedly ran from the intersection. Bell was then located a short distance from the scene of the accident.
According to the district attorney's office, Bell's blood-alcohol level was at .15 percent or more. The legal limit is .08 percent.