A 45-year-old Baton Rouge man who remained at large for more than a year after fleeing the scene of a 2009 hit-and-run that claimed the life of a California man has pleaded no contest to a felony charge in the case.
Arthur J. Hudson was sentenced to three years in prison after entering the plea on Monday. He was arrested in January 2011 following a 16-month investigation that involved numerous Crime Stoppers tips.
State District Judge Trudy White ordered Hudson to surrender Sept. 16 to begin serving his sentence in the death of John Artinian.
A no contest plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea in criminal court but cannot be used as an admission of guilt in any civil proceeding.