His lawyer hopes a boot-camp program could have him out by early 2025.
Cody Heron (left), as seen in the viral motorcycle incident in Philadelphia
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Wild Biker Cody Heron Pleads Guilty in Infamous Philadelphia Road-Rage Case
Just over four months after he stomped out the rear windshield of a family’s car while kids sat in the back seat, then pulled a gun on their mom when she heroically got out of the car to confront him — all caught on a very, very viral video — 27-year-old motorcycle rider Cody Heron has admitted his guilt.
Heron and his lawyer, Justin Charles Capek, showed up in courtroom 905 of the Criminal Justice Center on Wednesday morning and entered a guilty plea. Heron pleaded guilty to two first-degree felony counts of aggravated assault — a special version of the charge used when the victims are under the age of 13 and the defendant is an adult — and one misdemeanor count of possessing an instrument of crime. Prosecutors agreed to drop the bevy of other charges in exchange for his guilty plea.
The motorcycle Cody Heron was riding that night (photo courtesy Philadelphia Police Department)
Heron remains in custody at Riverside Correctional Facility in Northeast Philadelphia pending sentencing, which the judge scheduled for June 5th. The maximum penalty for the specified crimes is 45 years in jail. But Capek says he’s hopeful for a sentencing recommendation of three to six years. Plus, he believes Heron is a prime candidate for Pennsylvania’s Motivational Boot Camp program.
That’s a military-style diversionary program in rural Pennsylvania that includes 5:30 a.m. wakeup — with reveille, no less — physically intensive drills, and lots of educational and therapeutic components. Heron could start the six-month boot camp as early as October, and if he completes it successfully, he’s virtually guaranteed immediate parole — meaning he could be out well before his 29th birthday in 2025.
“The date of this incident captured Cody Heron at his absolute worst,” Capek tells Philly Mag. “He is thankful that no one was physically injured as a result of his conduct. And he remains committed to making amends for his actions. He looks forward to apologizing to the victims and presenting further mitigating evidence to the court in advance of his sentencing hearing.”
Tragic News Expected After East Lansdowne Fire
If you were anywhere near a television last night, you probably saw coverage of the devastating fire and shooting of police on a residential street in East Lansdowne, Delaware County.
On Wednesday afternoon, police responded to a call of a child being shot at a home. But when police arrived on the scene, somebody — and it’s currently unknown exactly who — opened fire on them, wounding two officers.
A fire erupted in the home. But firefighters were unable to battle the blaze until police cleared the area, since there had been an active shooter. The home was soon engulfed in flames and destroyed, and adjacent homes caught fire as well.
As Wednesday turned into Thursday, one thing became tragically clear: At least six people in the home were unaccounted for. And as of Thursday morning, that was still the case, leading investigators to contend with the possibility that they will find many human remains.
“It is our terrible fear that they may be inside that house when it was burned,” Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said at a press conference. “We are hopeful that that is not true.”
By the Numbers
$48.3 billion: Total of the proposed spending plan that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled this week in Harrisburg. He also wants the state to legalize recreational marijuana. Note that most states that share a border with Pennsylvania — including Maryland, Ohio, New Jersey, Delaware, and New York — have already approved recreational weed. (West Virginia is trying.)
10: Additional nonstop destinations from Philadelphia just announced by discount carrier Frontier Airlines. They include the following: Knoxville; Portland, Maine; Milwaukee; Detroit; Chicago O’Hare; Indianapolis; Columbus; Kansas City; and Pensacola.
0 percent: Chance that you’ll make it through any of those flights thinking, “Wow, Frontier is just the best!”
Local Talent
Wednesday night finally brought the third season of Abbott Elementary, the Philly-based hit sitcom from the brain of Philly native Quinta Brunson that also stars Sheryl Lee Ralph, wife of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes. The special hour-long episode had some fun twists. And if you missed it live on 6 ABC, you can stream it on Hulu starting today.
And from the Yet-Again Sports Desk …
The Sixers played host to the Warriors last night, and thank God, Tyrese Maxey was well enough to start (there were rumors of illness), along with Tobias Harris, Kelly Oubre, Paul Reed and Jaden Springer. A whole lotta folks were on the injured or ill list: Joel Embiid, of course, but also De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, Nic Batum and Marcus Morris. Our shorthanded team had a good start, up 22-15 after the first quarter thanks to solid D, especially by Springer on Stephen Curry.
Steph Curry scored 0 in the 1st Qtr
*First time since 2014😭 pic.twitter.com/IrTOK53KQR
— Jaden Springer Muse (@SpringerMuse) February 8, 2024
Steph didn’t get his first points (on free throws, at that) until there were three minutes to go in the half, which ended with the Warriors up 48-45. And then it all went to hell, as an 8-0 Warriors run in the third gave them a 71-52 lead. Not good. Again. Crapola.
What’s the point when Embiid is out for 2 months lmao
— ag (@ag15i) February 8, 2024
Andrew Wiggins was hot even if Steph wasn’t; he ended up with 21 points. Poor Tyrese played through it for this?
The Warriors SMOKE the Sixers in Philly.
They’ve now lost 7 of their last 8. 😬 pic.twitter.com/SR00Bqm2fU
— theScore (@theScore) February 8, 2024
Any (Better) College Hoops News?
You wish. St. Louis dropped by La Salle last night and took the lead early even though the Billikens had a much worse (8-14) record than the Explorers (11-11). They kept that lead through the half, too, which saw La Salle down 51-39. Matters just got worse from there on. Final tally: 102-84.
Villanova had a dismal start to its game against Xavier in Cincinnati but got their act together and tied it at 19-19 with five minutes left in the first half — and then took the lead for the first time. They were ahead at the half, 28-26. But after the break, the Musketeers inched ahead until a TJ Bamba layup tied it again, 50-50, with 5:17 to go. The ’Cats stalled there, not scoring again for nearly four minutes, and the clock finally ran out on a 56-53 Xavier win.
Tonight, Drexel travels to UNC-Wilmington and Memphis is at Temple, both tipping off at 7 p.m.
The Flyers also played.
All Philly Today sports coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.
Victor Fiorillo
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