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Imprisoned Jayson Williams Due Back in Manhattan Criminal Court on DWI Charge

By DNAinfo Staff on April 5, 2010 7:53am  | Updated on April 5, 2010 8:12am

This Sept. 30, 2009, file photo shows Jayson Williams in court in Somerville, N.J.
This Sept. 30, 2009, file photo shows Jayson Williams in court in Somerville, N.J.
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(AP Photo/Kathy Johnson)

By Shayna Jacobs

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MANHATTAN CRIMINAL COURT — Fallen NBA star Jayson Williams is scheduled to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday to face DWI charges stemming from a Jan. 5 auto wreck on the FDR Drive.

Lawyers for the ex-Net filed papers last month, claiming Williams, 42, "had not, was not or was not about to do any act which constituted a crime," the Associated Press reported.

Williams, who was found injured in the front passenger's seat, has argued he was not the driver of the smashed Mercedes SUV, although prosecutors believe he shuffled over from the driver's seat to cover up that he was drunk driving.

He reportedly fractured a vertebrae in his neck and was "bleeding from his face," according to his criminal complaint. At his Jan. 7 hospital arraignment, a Williams appeared in a neck brace over a live video feed.

The ex-Net is currently serving a five-year state prison sentence in New Jersey for causing the death of a limo driver in 2002, which was also believed to be alcohol-related.

Assistant District Attorney William Beesch said he "will be seeking significant jail time," in the DWI case.