"Jersey Shore" star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro applies for pretrial intervention in assault case, says lawyer

(CBS/AP) TOMS RIVER, N.J. - A lawyer for "Jersey Shore" star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has told a judge his client will apply to a pretrial intervention program in his assault case.

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Pretrial intervention allows a defendant to avoid a criminal record if he stays out of trouble.

The 25-year-old reality show star from New York City was charged after a September 2009 fight in which he knocked another man unconscious outside a Seaside Heights, N.J. nightclub. The fight was shown during the MTV show's first season.

Assistant Ocean County prosecutor Hillary Bryce said Monday the application frees Ortiz-Magro to travel to Italy next month for taping of the show's next season.

Bryce tells the Asbury Park Press newspaper Ortiz-Magro will be required to appear in state Superior Court in June to learn if he's been accepted into the program.

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