Simpson co-defendant free on house arrest
After being incarcerated for 27 months for his role in a 2007 armed robbery involving O.J. Simpson, newly released Clarence "C.J." Stewart marveled at a luxury he lacked in prison.
"I turned on some water to wash my hands," Stewart said Tuesday night at the office of his lawyer, E. Brent Bryson.
"It’s a good feeling to feel some warm water after 2½ years."
Wearing blue jeans, a collared shirt and white tennis shoes, Stewart was flanked by his self-described fiancee and Bryson.
Stewart, Simpson’s co-defendant from the 2007 robbery of sports memorabilia dealers at Palace Station, was released and placed on house arrest after he struck a deal with prosecutors in his case.
The 56-year-old entered an Alford plea to one count each of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery before District Judge Jackie Glass on Tuesday. An Alford plea means that Stewart didn’t admit guilt but acknowledged prosecutors could prove their case against him.
In 2008, Stewart was sentenced to 7½ to 27 years in prison after being convicted of charges including armed robbery and kidnapping. Just hours after his release, Stewart quietly detailed his prison experience and what he feels was a betrayal by the former football star, a business acquaintance he had golfed with occasionally.
"If I would have been in his place, I wouldn’t have been trying to get myself out first. I would have tried to get the person who really deserved to be out of this mess," Stewart said of Simpson. "I wish him luck, but I’m not going to wake up every day with this gentleman on my mind. We are not that type of friends."
Glass ordered Stewart to appear at the jail today to complete paperwork related to his house arrest.
Stewart’s 2008 conviction was overturned in October by the Nevada Supreme Court, which ruled Stewart didn’t receive a fair trial because he sat next to Simpson, "one of the most notorious public figures in this country."
Stewart, who maintained his innocence, said he tried to stay positive while in prison. He kept himself busy by working a prison job six days a week. He said the toughest days are ahead of him as he copes with unemployment. He said one of his first priorities is getting a job.
"I refused to drop my head and feel sad," Stewart said. "If I will feel sad, it will be today, or the next day because I’m back into reality now. Now the world is moving much faster."
After the Palace Station robbery, Simpson maintained he had been after only family photos, heirlooms and mementos that had been stolen from him following his acquittal in Los Angeles in the 1994 slayings of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman.
On the day of the robbery, Bruce Fromong brought his collection of sports memorabilia to the Palace Station for what he thought was a legitimate sales meeting. But the "buyer" turned out to be Simpson and five other men, who robbed Fromong and Alfred Beardsley at gunpoint.
The other co-defendants, Michael McClinton, Walter Alexander, Charles Cashmore and Charles Ehrlich, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and testified for the prosecution. All received suspended prison sentences and probation.
Stewart said Tuesday night that he was never offered a strong plea deal by prosecutors.
Stewart maintains he didn’t know what Simpson had in mind when the former football star and actor asked him to go to the hotel with him. He was the only defendant to reject a plea deal.
Stewart is to be sentenced again on Jan. 11. Prosecutors have agreed to have him serve nine months of house arrest. Terms of probation will be argued at sentencing but could include community service and victim restitution.
Stewart rejected a deal, offered by prosecutors before his 2008 trial, that would have required him to spend 30 months in prison. As it stands, he served 27 months before his release Tuesday.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger, who prosecuted Stewart himself, said the case was resolved fairly.
"It is fair … in as much as Mr. Simpson was the main culprit in the case who formulated the plan and was the person who wanted to steal this property," Roger said.
Bryson, said he was pleased by Stewart’s release.
"Unfortunately (the 2008) verdict went against us, largely in part I believe because he was sitting next to Mr. Simpson. And now we have corrected that and I believe that a just result has been levied at this time," Bryson said.
He added that Stewart "was quite thankful to get out to spend time with family and friends."
Bryson has said Stewart and Simpson were merely golfing buddies, and that Stewart was caught up in something he didn’t fully understand.
Bryson said Stewart hopes to serve his house arrest and probation with family in Louisiana, though details are up to the state department of parole and probation.
Stewart appeared in court dressed in navy blue prison garb with his hands and legs chained. He hardly could contain himself and smiled repeatedly while waiting for his case to be called.
While Glass questioned Stewart during the hearing, he sounded relieved as he officially entered his plea.
Finally, Glass ordered Stewart to be released on house arrest pending his sentencing.
Stewart’s fiancee, Teresa Wuertemburg, who was in the courtroom, yelled "Hallelujah," at the hearing’s conclusion.
Afterward, she said she was elated and ecstatic to have Stewart home and was looking forward to starting their lives over together.
With Stewart’s release, Simpson will be the only person convicted in the robbery to remain in prison. Simpson, 63, is more than two years into a nine- to 33-year sentence at Lovelock Correctional Center.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.
