Chris Culliver brass knuckles charge reduced from felony to misdemeanor

Former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver has departed the Bay Area for greener pastures, and we can now put a bit of a bow on his legal issue.

Culliver had been charged with misdemeanor hit and run, and felony possession of brass knuckles. Culliver's attorneys argued for the felony charge to be reduced to a misdemeanor, and the judge agreed. The crime is a wobbler offense, which means the charge can be a misdemeanor or felony. The DA's office believed it was worthy of a felony, but the judge disagreed once Culliver's attorneys presented their arguments.

Superior Court Judge Shelyna Brown reduced the brass knuckles charge after defense attorney Josh Bentley argued Culliver has no criminal history, cooperated with investigators and is buttressed by a witness disputes claims the athlete brandished the weapon.

Culliver has an April 23 court date, and this is still on track to eventually end up in a trial. Given the DA's objections to the reduction, the office might not be inclined to work out a plea deal. Of course, given the reduction, the prosecutor's boss might decide it is not worth their time anymore and order a plea be struck. Who knows what will happen. Culliver faces a pair of misdemeanors, and it seems unlikely that he will do any jail time.