Seven Pleads Guilty In Virginia Court

The continuing saga continues with Michael Vick pleading guilty to one charge of dogfighting in a Sussex County court earlier Tuesday.

A charge of animal cruelty was waved off and Seven now is on a three-year probationary term for the charge that was brought on him in court. He was also fined $2,500 and told to pay court costs- including his transport from Leavenworth, Kansas.

When Surry County District Attorney Gerald Poindexter was asked why he dropped the animal cruelty charge when Seven already admitted to the acts themselves he responded:

"Because I feel what I did today is approved by more than a majority of people in Surry County and that's a constituency I'm concerned about."

Seven is scheduled for release in July of 2009, but since the state charges have been "taken care of," he is elgible for an early release. He could serve the remainder of his sentence in a half-way house and could be out by January to do so.

The plea agreement was reached before a federal report on the case surfaced Friday, including an account from one witness that Vick and two of his co-defendants enjoyed putting family pets into a ring with pit bulls from Bad Newz Kennels and watching the trained fighters injure or kill the pets.

That's nice, ain't it...?
Mary Kay Mallonee has been on the case since the very beginning...
((HT: WAVY-TV))

Seven Up...? Vick "Expects" To Be Reinstated

The bankruptcy lawyers for "7," aka Michael Vick, fully anticipate their client's return to the National Football League after his 23-month sentence is up at Leavenworth.

Dave Forster's article in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper relays information from papers filed with the US Bankruptcy Court Wednesday. Those papers detail the progress 7's attorneys are having getting to the proposed bottom of his legal and financial matters.

From the article... ahem... quote...

"In a disclosure statement filed Wednesday, lawyers for Vick said the Newport News native still has a contract with the Atlanta Falcons but needs to be reinstated by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to satisfy his contractual obligations and play again.

“The Debtor has every reason to believe that upon his release, he will be reinstated into the NFL, resume his career and be able to earn a substantial living,” they wrote."

7 is scheduled to show up for a hearing in Virginia on November 25th and plead guilty to state charges of animal cruelty and dog fighting in Surry County. But there is no immediate thought that the pleas will add to his sentence.

The sentence is supposed to end in July, but 7's attorneys are wrangling to get their charge in to a half-way house and cut the time even further. There are two other dates to be concerned with after the November hearing- January 15 and 16 of 2009. At that time, 7 is supposed to have his plan of action for reimbursing creditors in place and he is also going to be appointed a trustee to arrange his finances in a sound manner.

Sources close to the three-letter network HQ here are still wondering when the RICO statutes are going to be addressed for trafficking dogs across state lines for the purpose of fighting as well as the international charges around his debt to the Royal Bank of Canada.

Just axin'...

Seven Answers State Charges

And, yes, we are talking about Michael Vick...

According to the Virginian-Pilot newspaper, 7 is set to answer the state dogfighting charges hanging over his head via video conference next week. His anticipated guilty plea is an attempt to orchestrate an early release into a half-way house.

According to the Virginia-Pilot's Tim McGlone...

The papers that were filed say that Vick needs to resolve his state charges before he can be eligible for entry into a halfway house. Vick’s scheduled release date is July 20 and the soonest he could enter a program is six months before that.

No court date has been set officially, but the Surry County Court next convenes on November 5.

Surry County Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter has not been available for comment so far today.

From WVEC-TV:

VICK ATTORNEYS STATEMENT: (VIA FAX TO 13NEWS)

"Today, William R. "Billy" Martin and Lawrence H. "Woody" Woodward, Jr., attorneys for Michael Vick, announced that they filed a motion in Surry County, Virginia asking the Court to allow Mr. Vick, pursuant to the Virginia Rules, to enter a plea of guilty to the pending state charges via videoconference. Together with his motion, Mr. Vick filed a waiver in which he forgoes his right to personally appear at the plea hearing and agrees to be bound by the decision of the court. Mr. Vick is committed to taking ((sic)) responsibilty for his actions. He is hopeful that, through this motion, the trial court will allow him to finally resolve these matters and put the charges behind him so that he can begin to focus on his future and to prepare to be reunited with his family."

WVEC's Vick page can be found in black...

WAVY-TV's Mary Kay Mallonee has the 411 on 7...