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Vick will plead guilty to dogfight charges: report
2008-10-21
NORFOLK, Virginia (AFP) - Michael Vick will plead guilty to state dogfighting charges in hopes of securing an early release from federal prison and possibly returning to American football next year. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper, citing papers filed in Surry County Circuit Court by Vick's lawyers, reported Tuesday that the former National Football League star quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons wants to enter a halfway house. Attorneys want permission for Vick to plead guilty in a video-teleconference from Leavenworth, Kansas, where he is serving a two-year prison sentence on federal dogfighting charges. The Surry court next convenes on November 5. Paperwork indicates that Vick must resolve the state charges before he would be eligible to take part in a halfway house program. Vick is scheduled to be released on July 20. He could enter a halfway house program in January to prepare his way for a return to society. Vick's release would come as National Football League clubs begin training camps for the 2009 season. Whether or not a team would take a chance upon him and how skillful he would be after incarceration are major questions lingering over Vick, who filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last July with debts of 10-50 million dollars. Vick financed and supported a dogfight ring and was convicted last December on federal charges. The state charges are for related violations stemming from the operation that was based on rural land in Surry County. Vick's role, as outlined in court documents, included execution of poorly performing dogs through brutal methods. Vick would need the approval of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before being allowed to American football.
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