Two men pleaded no contest Tuesday in connection with the theft of a part from a Porsche Carrera GT in which actor Paul Walker and a friend were traveling before a fatal wreck and fire.
Anthony Edward Janow, 26, and Jameson Brooks Witty, 18, will likely be sentenced to 180 days in county jail, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney's office. Witty's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 14. Janow's sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 23.
The two were accused of stealing a roof panel from a tow vehicle carrying the burned-out Porsche supercar after the November 2013 crash on a street about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. The tow truck was at a stop light in Valencia when the theft occurred as the charred car was transported to an impound yard Nov. 30, hours after the "Fast and Furious" star and friend Roger Rodas were killed in the fiery crash, according to prosecutors.
Witty and Janow had been told earlier by a Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy that they could not take any part of the demolished vehicle, prosecutors said. The roof panel was later recovered at a Canyon Country residence.
Janow pleaded no contest to one felony count of grand theft of personal property and one misdemeanor count each of destroying evidence and resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer. Witty pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor count each of grand theft of personal property, destroying evidence and resisting, obstructing and delaying a peace officer.
A no contest plea indicates the defendant neither admits or disputes a charge. It is not considered an admission of guilt, but can be treated by the judge as a guilty plea for sentencing purposes.
Neither defendant reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, the Associated Press reported.
Walker and Rodas were taking what was to be a brief drive in the mid-engine Porsche during a fundraiser in Valencia when the high-performance vehicle collided at high speed with a light pole and tree before burning.
A coroner's report determined that Walker, 40, died from the combined effects of trauma and burn injuries in the fiery crash. The cause of death for 38-year-old Rodas, confirmed to be the driver, was determined to be multiple traumatic injuries.
Thousands of mourners gathered at the crash site in the days after the crash, leaving flowers, notes, candles and other items in memory of Walker and Rodas.
