Remember Real Housewives of Orange County alum, Lauri Peterson, and her troubled son Josh Waring? Well, here’s a twisted update worthy of a soap opera.
According to the LA Times, Lauri’s son Josh has just settled his lawsuit with Orange County officials for $595,000 over claims they illegally recorded his phone calls and an allegation that sheriff’s deputies set up an attack on him while in custody.
Josh has been arrested numerous times, most recently on drug charges, notably possessing fentanyl and methamphetamines. He was also at the center of exposing a scandal in which he and numerous other inmates were illegally taped while on confidential phone calls between their attorneys. Josh also alleges that he was threatened, attacked, and retaliated against for his role in uncovering the scandal.
Josh also claimed in his federal lawsuit filed in April 2020 that a sheriff’s deputy threatened to “choke your…ass out and get a promotion” after Josh questioned the deputy about his correspondence with his attorney being opened.
The deputy was eventually put on leave after the confrontation for a separate incident involving the death of an inmate, but when he returned, he allegedly told Josh, “you better watch the [expletive] out, I just killed the last guy who pissed me off and I got a paid vacation,” according to the suit.
Josh then alleged that after that altercation, two deputies set off multiple rounds of pepper balls in the jail sector Josh was being housed in. He also says he was denied any medical attention resulting from the assaults.
At the time, Josh was facing up to 65 years in prison but was eventually able to reach a plea deal with his sentence being time served while he was in jail awaiting trial.
Lauri has said that Josh now wants to pursue a career in law.
Orange County Superior Judge Jonathan Fish commended Josh how much he has matured over the past couple of years, attributing much of it to his ongoing sobriety.
“I think you’ve matured a lot,’’ Fish told Waring. “A lot of that, if we’re being honest, is you’re not on methamphetamine.”
Unfortunately for Josh and his lawsuit settlement, it seems Judge Fish’s commendations haven’t seemed to resonate with Josh.
After being released on parole, Josh has recently found himself potentially facing more time back behind bars on charges of allegedly possessing and planning to deal the drug Fentanyl plus a misdemeanor charge for possession of methamphetamines after the initial arrest was made back in February of this year.
According to new court documents obtained by TMZ, a Sherrif’s Deputy pulled over a car that Josh was a passenger in. Upon recognizing Josh and knowing that he was on parole he was allowed to conduct a random search of the vehicle. The officer allegedly found drugs in Josh’s lap.
Sources stated that the officer saw Josh blatantly trying to get rid of the drugs by sweeping them under the car’s floorboards. Due to the amount of drugs found, Josh was immediately arrested.
As viewers will remember during Lauri’s tenure on the show, Josh was constantly getting in trouble with the law and unfortunately, things haven’t changed.
