Teen with Bullet in Head Takes Plea Deal

Joshua Adam Bush, 19, pleaded guilty Monday, Dec. 1 2008, to charges of criminal mischief and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In return, other charges were dropped and he will be sentenced to two years in jail. With time served, he should be out shortly, his lawyer, Langston Adams, told the Beaumont Enterprise.

Bush gained national attention when prosecutors tried to have a bullet removed from his head to prove he was hit during a gun battle while attempting to rob a used car dealership. Bush had claimed that he was shot accidentally by a friend.

In a jury trial in August Bush was found not guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Prosecutors maintained that Bush had been in a gunfight with the manager of the car lot, Allen Olive, and that was how he got the bullet in his head. Jurors returned a verdict of not guilty, though some indicated that they do not necessarily believe Bush was innocent. This was the most serious charge he faced.

By accepting the plea agreement - in which he pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and criminal mischief - charges of deadly conduct and two counts of engaging in organized criminal activity were dropped as part of the deal.

Jefferson County prosecutor Ramon Rodriguez said the deal was made because any subsequent trials would rely heavily on the testimony of gang members, which would not be reliable.

"We got a couple convictions, which did not force us to rely on the testimony of known gang members for the purpose of getting a conviction," he said.

Even though Bush took the plea bargain offered by prosecutors, he may yet gain financially from the case. Following his arrest law enforcement officers obtained a warrant to have the bullet removed from his head. He was taken to St. Christus Elizabeth Hospital where a doctor made an incision into his forehead, but was unable to remove the slug. His family has since sued the doctor.