All Eyes On Richmond For Vick.

*Michale Vick*

On Thursday, all eyes will be on Richmond, Va., as Falcons quarterback Michael Vick appears in federal court.

Vick and three co-defendants are facing federal charges involving a dogfighting operation. They are scheduled for a mid-afternoon hearing. At 3:30, Vick will answer the charges at a bond hearing, and at 4 p.m., is scheduled to arraigned.

It is during that hearing, that Vick will be fingerprinted and his mugshot taken.

In downtown Richmond, roads surrounding the courthouse have already been shut down in an attempt to control the large rush of media covering the case, along with protestors and the public.

Police officials said they are ready for Vick to come, and then go.

“I was a prosecutor when Malcolm X was arrested here in Richmond, Va.,” said attorney Michael Morchower.

He said that was the only other time that the kind of attention was given to the courthouse in Richmond that is being given in this case.

The extra crowds bring extra police officers and extra precautions.

“We’ll have to take it as it unfolds,” said John Hackman of the US Marshal’s Office. “I don’t know how many people may be coming, I don’t know if they’re going to be passive or more aggressive. We’re hoping it’s going to be a more passive assembly of people.”

Vick last talked publicly about the dogfighting charges in mini-camp before the 19-page federal indictment.

Thursday afternoon, he will have answer the allegations before federal court Judge Henry Hudson.

The US Marshal’s office was asked about special treatment for Vick, including possibly entering through a side door. Officials said Vick is not in their custody, and they said there is no reason to believe he is in any danger. So they said he is a regular citizen and will be treated like a regular citizen.

There were more protests on Wednesday over Michael Vick. People picketed outside Nike’s flagship Niketown store in New York City. They want the company to cut ties with Vick.

Nike has already announced it was withholding the release of Vick’s fifth signature shoe in light of the case.

Wednesday’s protest was organized by PETA. The group said it also plans to be at Thursday’s hearing.

Feds Push For More Time in Dogfight Convictions
Experts said Vick’s case is in federal court because the quarterback and the other men charged are likely to serve more time if convicted.

Dogfighting is not an uncommon crime in Georgia, but state laws, according to some experts, would force local authorities to turn to the feds for big cases like Vick’s.

“If this case had occurred in Georgia the prosecutor would automatically go to federal court because Georgia is only one of two states where these crimes are a misdemeanor,” said former DeKalb District Attorney J. Tom Morgan.

In a search by 11Alive News of the Department of Corrections Web site, looking for persons sent to prison for dogfighting, only five names were found.

In Muscogee County, Stanley Pearson was convicted of dogfighting in 1998. He was sentenced to a year in prison and served four months.

In Spalding County, David Wimbush was convicted of dogfighting in 2005. He was sentenced to three years and served four months.

In Newton County, Andrew Smith was convicted of dogfighting in 2004. He was sentenced to three years and served 14 months.

In Walton County, Jeffrey Tiller was convicted of dogfighting in 1998. He was sentenced to four years, two months and served just over a year-and-a-half.

And in Wayne County Terry Driggs was convicted of dogfighting in 1999. He was sentenced to two years and served one year and ten months.

The fact that Vick faces six years in prison is one another reason this case is being handled at the federal level.

“One, where would offenders get the most time — probably in federal court under these circumstances. Two, which office is best equipped to with resources,” said Morgan.

While the dogfighters who faced state charges in some of these cases can get big reductions in time served, in federal court that’s not the case.

“You’re likely to get more time, but the time that you get you’re likely to serve more of it,” Morgan said.

One other big difference between federal and state court is in state court prosecutors are required to disclose evidence to defense attorneys before trial. They don’t have to do that in federal court, which is one reason the public has not heard the evidence against Vick yet.