A longtime friend and golfing buddy of President Barack Obama pleaded no contest on Monday to a misdemeanor charge of soliciting a prostitute in Hawaii but was given a chance to expunge the case from his record.
The plea of no contest was entered on behalf of Robert "Bobby" Titcomb, 49, by his lawyer in a Honolulu courtroom, but the judge granted a defense request for what is called a deferral of judgment.
Under that ruling, Titcomb, who was not present for the 15-minute hearing, could get the solicitation charge dismissed altogether if he stays out of trouble with law enforcement for about the next 12 months.
The first review of his compliance will come at a hearing set for October 19, after which Titcomb would generally need to keep his record clean for another six months, prosecutors said. If he succeeds, the case could be dropped altogether.
In the meantime, Titcomb was ordered to pay $530, most of which will be satisfied by his $500 bail. If convicted of solicitation, a petty misdemeanor, he could face a maximum penalty of 30 days in jail.
"He doesn't fully agree with the facts of the case," said his attorney William Harrison, but "he's going to take full responsibility for his actions in this matter."
'A very difficult time' He also felt that the no-contest plea and deferral of judgment were in his best interests, his lawyer said.
"My client's life has been turned upside down, and it's a very difficult time for his family," Harrison told the judge.
He earlier declined comment when asked by Reuters whether Titcomb had heard from Obama since his arrest in early April.
The Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney said then that Titcomb was caught after he solicited sex from an undercover police officer contacted through the Internet.
The case made headlines because Titcomb and Obama were high school classmates in Hawaii in the 1970s. The two have often played golf and basketball and headed to the beach together when the president has been back in the islands for vacation.
Obama has also visited Titcomb's beachside home, about an hour outside downtown Honolulu on Oahu's North Shore, for barbecues during the past few years.