SUSSEX COUNTY
Michael Vick pleaded guilty Tuesday to a state dogfighting charge, clearing the way for him to leave a federal prison and attempt an NFL comeback.
Vick, 28, was sentenced to three years of suspended jail time, none of which will be added to his 23-month federal prison sentence if he stays out of trouble for four years. The sentence was part of a plea agreement with Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald Poindexter.
Poindexter dropped a charge of animal cruelty as part of the deal. He said later that he believed most people in Surry County approved.
"That's the constituency that I'm concerned about," he said.
Vick entered the courtroom from a side door, dressed in a suit and tie, without handcuffs. After pleading guilty, he apologized to his family and "to all the kids out there who looked up to me as a role model."
Several family members sat in the front row of the courtroom. Vick lingered by them after the hearing, waving and trying to say a few words before he was escorted out.
Outside, eight protesters from Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals held signs that showed dogs that had been used in fights. A couple of signs said, "Dogfighters, Repent!"
Dan Shannon, a spokesman for the group, declined to comment on Vick's sentence. H e said PETA would love to see the former NFL star use his experience to campaign against dogfighting.
Vick's agent, Joel Segal, also attended the hearing, which was held in Sussex County because of renovations to the Surry County Courthouse. He said Vick is staying in good shape but would not comment on details of a possible NFL comeback. Vick is indefinitely suspended from the league but could be reinstated by the commissioner.
Attorneys representing Vick in his bankruptcy case filed papers this month that said Vick has "every reason to believe" he will resume his NFL career. They have proposed a repayment plan to creditors in which Vick would give a percentage of his future earnings to repay his debt.
Vick is scheduled to leave prison in July. N ow that he has resolved the state charges, he can be released to a federal halfway house up to six months early.
Placement outside prison would give him more freedom to speak with NFL teams and be closer to his family.
"If you ask Michael what he wants, he wants to come home," said Billy Martin, one of Vick's attorneys.
In the federal case, Vick admitted to conspiring to run "Bad Newz Kennels," an interstate dogfighting and gambling operation, out of property he owned in Surry County from 2001 to 2007.
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Inspector General, Vick twice placed family pets into the fighting ring with a pit bull. A confidential witness told an investigator that Vick and two of his co-defendants, Quanis Phillips and Purnell Peace, thought it was funny to watch the pit bulls injure or kill the other dogs, the report said.
Poindexter brought state charges after Vick pleaded guilty to the federal case. After Tuesday's hearing, Poin-dexter recalled criticism he took for his handling of the case, which he said turned ugly and sometimes racist.
Poindexter said federal prosecutors took what was a misdemeanor in federal court - dogfighting - and charged it as a conspiracy to "enhance the seriousness" of it. "That's kind of unusual," he said.
Poindexter also said animal-rights activists can be too narrowly focused on events such as the Vick case. He said he learned during his prosecution of Vick of "reprehensible" practices toward race horses, hunting dogs and other animals.
"The focus should be a lot wider than just on Michael Vick and dogfighting," he said.
As part of his sentence, Vick must pay court costs, which have not been totaled. A $2,500 fine was suspended as part of his plea deal.
Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com
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vick
"pardon vick" spoke of the redemption of a human being as important. vick is no human, and he is therefore one of the unredeemable. There is pure evil in the world, and he is a prime example. There is no good there to emerge. So the answer is that he needs to be minimalized by society. Nothing in his future should ever be easy again, as it has been until now. He should have to eke out a living, or sponge off the relatives and friends he subsidized while he was in the money. They've probably all blown it all as has he, so if he remains unemployable, they can work to support him and thereby show him their appreciation for the gone, gone glory days. For some things, there are no second chances.
Vick
What a shame the dogs couldn't testify. May he never play in the NFL again!
dollars to donuts
Dollars to donuts we have not heard the last of illegal behavior by the Vick boys.
Sometimes I wish....
I really wish I knew who the people were posting comments on pilotonline stories. It would serve as a way to determine who the good, compassionate people are and who the evil, heartless people are. I'd love to surround myself with people who feel folks like Mike Vick have forfeited their right to be called a human being. I would like to maintain a GREAT distance between myself and those who feel forcing dogs to fight and then brutally murdering them, companion animals who trust you, with your own hands, is not despicable and should be forgiven. Where do people like this come from? Who raised them? It's so hard to believe that there are people living among us who have such cold hearts.
re: Criminals Belong Behind Bars
Caspar wrote:
>>>By all means, let's let Michael Vick play football again, only the Longest Yard in federal prison for the next 70 years.<<<
You comment borders on lunacy. What he did was reprehensible, but 70 years? I guess when you get a speeding ticket you should be thrown in jail for at least 2 years using your logic...
What he did was wrong, but Vick got shafted on this one. Most of you want him treated as a mass murderer; I have news for you, killing dogs isn't murder.
We're getting ahead of ourselves
In reading the article it states, "Vick is scheduled to leave prison in July. N ow that he has resolved the state charges, he CAN be released to a federal halfway house up to six months early."
No where does it say that he will be relased to a halfway house six months early but that he can be released. There is no guarantee he will go to a halfway house.
Personally, I don't care either way, I don't watch football, don't attend games and find that his behavior was unacceptable.
There is also no guarantee that a NFL team will pick him up and allow him to play.
We're getting ahead of ourselves here. There are lots of variables in play. Maybe we could spend our time concentrating on things that are more certain!
Criminals Belong Behind Bars
By all means, let's let Michael Vick play football again, only the Longest Yard in federal prison for the next 70 years. One poster says PETA doesn't have the respect Michael Vick has earned. Society is going down the tubes if people think Vick is respectful. He's a criminal, and criminals belong behind bars.
Here is the problem
Name your favorite football player and give his stats...Name your favortie Celebrity and talk about his/her achievements...Name your community leader and what measures they take to better your immediate surroundings or even the top 3 issues facing your immediate local area that could impact you economically or otherwise...name the fire chief at your most local fire station...You get the idea - we care far too much about the WRONG people and the wrong things.
If the NFL wants Vick back - it is THEIR decision. No matter what your thoughts are about what he was convicted of doing - he went to trial, was sentenced and is serving that sentence. If you do not like Vick, turn off the tv when he plays, don't go to his games, etc. You have a choice..don't forget that. Same goes for all the other idiot celebs we glorify - they are important because WE make them important. Sad but true.
Miscarriage of justice
A suspended sentence and Mr. Poindexter's open display of bias toward Vick tells all. So many are wanting to see Vick back in the NFL they want to overlook his violent and criminal nature. He hasn't changed, his lawyers and PR people just spinning the sad facts to get people to believe he has.
Poindexter claims racist
Mr Poindexter said it was racist the way peole talked about him. Well, Mr. Poindexter, this white woman claims racist also, but not the way you meant it. It isn't just white people who are racist.
Where are all of the Human Rights Activitst??????
Where are all of the people here making all of these negative comments when a child has been sexually abused or killed? I am a dog lover and yes, it was wrong for Vick to do what he did with them. It seems that there have been more people speaking out, holding signs and wishing for bad things to happen to him. If people would act this way when it comes to a child or a women that has been brutally raped then maybe this world could become a better place. I think our morals are a bit twisted. Let us see the signs outside of the courts when someone has been arrested for a crime to children, women, or the elderly. Get off his back. He has paid his debt and began to fight for our futures that are serving time and dying.
Treat him no bettter...but no worse...
I became curious as to how other people convicted for similar offenses fared.
According to the Toledo Blade, a paper in OH: "Forty-two dogfighting charges have been filed against 22 people in 12 years..." and "Of those charged, 14 were convicted either of the fourth-degree felony charge or a lesser charge. Sentences ranged from 30 days of jail time to 90-day jail sentences plus two years of probation."
Other examples cited in the paper include:
Otha L. Jones - charged in 1999 with six counts of fourth-degree felony dogfighting and other charges relating to drugs. He was found guilty of dog fighting, cultivating marijuana, and illegal possession of a gun. He was ordered to serve 4½ years in prison...which was overturned by the 6th District Court of Appeals.
Christopher Lawrence, was found guilty in 2002 of two dogfighting charges and failure to confine a vicious dog. He was sentenced to three years of community control and 50 hours of community service...he was released from community control after a little more than a year for good behavior.
So, again I say, Michael Vick should not get any breaks because he is a famous athlete..but he should not be treated worse be
Support of Vick
I can not believe all these people all in support of Vick, a "decent" person would not do that to animals, someone commented that a dog bit another dog, so what.....this person needs a rude awakening, Vick fought dogs, which is illegal,killed dogs, stomped, hung, eletrocuted dogs, abused them for fun, that is not a decent human being, this is a sick thug, a mentally ill person! People saying so what, it was on his property, does it make it right? Legal?
Get over it, People, Vick is a thug, a convicted felon, he did wrong, immoral acts, and then lied about it.
He may have serve a little time in jail, so what? I know some people that served more time for stealing a 12 pack of beer, and cigarettes......I think it all is digusting.
shades of O.J......
MV still can't admit his guilt
because if he could, he would've plead GUILTY to the animal cruelty charge as well. If he doesn't believe that what he did was cruel, then he hasn't learned a thing, ZERO. All he's giving is lip service so he can possibly get back in the NFL, that's all he cares about. Still can't admit guilt means it's all just lip service. He's not been rehabilitated, he's just saying what he needs to be saying to get off easy.
Just another example of a celebrity being given special
consideration.
The state of Virginia never wanted to charge him in the first place, so I am not surprised that they found a reason to release him early.
Michael Vick
I'm repulsed by the dog-fighting situation against Vick. But he has paid his debt to society, as given by the courts, so let him alone. Especially the jerks at PETA who believe they ate the only good and holy dogma around. Michael Vick and PETA travel down two different roads and PETA will never have the respect Michael Vick has....LEAVE HIM ALONE AND WELCOME BACK TO THE NFL, WE MISSED YOU MIKE!
Wonder
I wonder if all the folks here who feel that there's no amount forgiveness for Vick feel the same way about Ryan Frederick who willfully shot and killed a police officer.
He's a thug, knew what he
He's a thug, knew what he was doing and should lose any opportunities based on his bad decisions. Life's all about decisions. I think it's ridiculous to pat this man on his shoulder pads and let his lawyers sweet talk him back onto the playing field. That's right where this country's going. Thugs, money talks, no morals, thieving and killing. He made a decision, let him live with it.
Rick3cs' Throwing Stones
"Everyone, I'm sure has commited some kind of crime in their lives. Drugs, Driving after you drink, smoking, spanking their kids, abuse somebody?"
Maybe that's your lifestyle, but normal law-abiding citizens don't do drugs or drive while drunk. Smoking is not a crime. Since when is spanking your child a crime? The Bible even tells you to spank your children when they are bad. Maybe that's Vick's problem. He didn't get any spankings so he grew up with no morals and with the idea that he could do anything he wanted.
The penalty for one count of animal cruelty is 10 years in prison. How many did Vick personally kill, 7? Then he deserves 70 years in prison, not the right to play football the rest of his life.
the time
Vic may have "served" some time, but whenever he gets out let's hope people keep the punishment going! According to the NY Times ole poindexter hugged vic's mama in court!! What a crock. Let's see, vic lied during court about committing the crime, unwed "father", killed dogs personally, fought dogs for money...some role model for YOUR kids. Some of you who defend this "guy" I'm sure would be proud if your kids followed in his footsteps, right??