Ludwig asks for jury trial

By Cindy Landrum  

SEPTEMBER 9, 2010 10:31 a.m. (0)

John Ludwig Jr. has asked for a jury trial on a third-degree assault and battery charge stemming from a confrontation in a downtown restaurant in July.

Ludwig, the Greenville businessman who avoided jail time when a judge suspended his five-year prison sentence to three years probation after he pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for driving his Maserati through a house and killing the homeowner as he watched television, was scheduled to appear in Greenville Municipal Court on Wednesday.

But Ludwig filed paperwork requesting a jury trial, which likely won’t be scheduled until at least January.

Ludwig is accused of spitting on a man at Barley’s Taproom, according to arrest warrants.

The man, who formerly served on the board of the Boys Home of the South with Ludwig, told police Ludwig called him by name and reached out as if to shake hands. When the two shook hands, Ludwig forcibly pulled the man toward him and wouldn’t let go, according to police. The man was able to pull away but said Ludwig uttered a profanity and spit on him.

The charge is a misdemeanor and carries a jail sentence of up to 30 days.

State probation officials said they will wait for the case’s outcome before deciding whether to ask a judge to revoke his probation.

The arrest is the latest in a series of legal battles for Ludwig.

Last year, he was sentenced to three years probation and 500 hours community service after pleading guilty to reckless homicide in connection with an April 2009 wreck in which his Maserati plowed through the home of Bill Bardsley, killing him as he watched television.

The sentence shocked 13th Circuit Solicitor Bob Ariail, outraged the community and had some in the legal community talking about a two-tiered justice system.

Ludwig also received probation after pleading guilty to assault of a high and aggravated nature in connection with a July 2008 case where Ludwig kicked in the door of the home of a man who was involved with his then-estranged wife.

And finally in February, a Greenville Municipal Court jury found Ludwig guilty of criminal domestic violence first offense for hitting his then-estranged wife in February 2009, two months before the fatal wreck.