Jackass Star Bam Margera Pleads Guilty to Disorderly Conduct, Accepts Probation with Drug Testing

"I don’t want to go back to that lifestyle," the actor said after he pleaded guilty on Wednesday, June 26

Bam Margera
Bam Margera on July 27, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. . Photo:

Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Former Jackass star Bam Margera pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct on Wednesday, June 26, and has been sentenced to six months on probation, reports the Associated Press, New York Daily News and ABC 6.

Bam, 44, was charged with assaulting his brother, Jess, and threatening other family members during a two-week visit to their Chester County, Penn., home in July 2023.

Along with the six months on probation, Bam will be subject to random drug testing, therefore if he tests positive for drugs, he could be sentenced to jail.

Prior to Wednesday's court decision, Margera and his brother appeared in a court hearing last year, where he told the judge he was getting drug and alcohol treatment.

Bam Margera in Jackass
Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera in 'Jackass: The Movie'.

Paramount/ Everett 

At the same court hearing, Jess said his brother is “a good dude when he’s not messed up.” He said Bam had demonstrated troublesome behavior for the past 20 years, adding that Bam was awake for days when at the Pennsylvania home. Due to the incident, Jess suffered a ruptured eardrum.

A few days after the altercation, Bam was on the run from police before he turned himself in.

He has previously struggled with mental health and substance abuse and will mark one year of sobriety on Aug. 1.

After the court adjourned Wednesday, Bam told ABC 6: "I needed that to realize I would go on drinking benders and I would end up in situations that were really not good.” 

He continued, "Now that I've done this amount of time, I don't want to go back to that lifestyle.”

Bam margera court
Bam Margera on July 27, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images

Bam and Jess’ mother, April, was also at the hearing. "He's doing really well and we want him to keep going and get this behind him, really. But we all love him and we just want him to do great," she said, per ABC 6. "He's been through a lot in his life, he's had a lot of access and he's had a lot of power and it's hard to come down from that.”

Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe said that the plea deal Bam received is common.

"We want to make sure Bam can get the help that he needs. We want to see Mr. Margera have accountability on the back end so that he can achieve the sobriety and that he can really be accountable to his family and his community," de Barrena-Sarobe told ABC 6.

Meanwhile, Bam’s attorney Michael T. van der Veen tells PEOPLE, “This is basically a noise violation,” adding, “He really got nothing more than a traffic ticket.”

Bam Margera
Bam Margera.

Sean M. Haffey/Getty

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