Guion pays $5,000 fine, charges dismissed

Letroy Guion's criminal case that included charges of felony possession of marijuana was resolved today and will leave him without prosecution or a criminal record.

Guion reached a plea agreement of no contest with authorities in Starke, Fla., that included him paying a $5,000 fine and having his adjudication withheld, which means the charges were dismissed.

"He's got no conviction," said Robert Rush, Guion's attorney. "The case is done, closed, that's the end of it."

Guion, a free agent defensive tackle who played last season with the Packers, still is subject to discipline by the NFL for violation of the league's substance abuse and-or personal conduct policies. He was arrested Feb. 3 with about two-thirds of a pound of marijuana. Such violations of NFL policies for first-time offenders generally lead to suspensions of two to four games, though that can vary depending on the case.

Guion is free to sign with any team, but the prospect of a likely suspension will hurt his value on the open market.

Coach Mike McCarthy at the NFL scouting combine about a month ago expressed strong interest in the Packers re-signing Guion and reiterated that this week at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona. The Packers can more easily assimilate Guion after a suspension than other teams because he played in their defensive system last season.

"(Guion) is back in town working out every day," McCarty said earlier this week, "and obviously once we get to the free agent part of it, you have to do what you have to do there by rules. But we're just working through that and obviously paying close attention to what's going on in Florida."

Guion's civil forfeiture case remains open. Guion was driving a new truck and had about $190,000 in cash when he was arrested. The Starke police department seized the truck and cash as possible contraband from drug dealing, though Guion has said the marijuana was for personal use and the cash was from Packers paychecks.

Rush said he's hoping to reach a settlement on the civil case soon.

"I think the civil forfeiture case is completely defensible (for Guion)," he said. "The money is not contraband at all, it's all from a lawful, legitimate source. I'm confident we'll ultimately get to that."