After a brief stint in Santa Barbara County Jail on Monday, Randy and Evi Quaid returned to Judge Ochoa’s courtroom on Wednesday to work out a deal that allowed them to avoid felony charges for skipping out on a $10,000 hotel bill at the San Ysidro Ranch hotel.
According to prosecutor Arnie Tolks, the couple met in closed chambers where Evi pled no contest to a downgraded misdemeanor charge of defrauding an innkeeper. She was sentenced to three years’ probation and 240 hours of community service, and has expressed interest in working with the homeless community to fulfill her hours.
Tolks said that investigators, while possessing circumstantial evidence against Randy, couldn’t prove his direct involvement in dealing with the outstanding bill and therefore decided not to charge him. Evi reportedly had been handling business with the hotel.
Prosecutors dropped all felony counts against the Quaids, including defrauding an innkeeper, burglary, and conspiracy.