After state-charge plea, Vick is closer to NFL return

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