The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback pleaded guilty to a federal dogfighting conspiracy charge in August and voluntarily reported to jail last week, even though he will not be formally sentenced until Dec. 10.
He was not in a Sussex courtroom Tuesday when Surry County Circuit Judge Samuel Campbell set Vick's trial date during a five-minute consultation with defense attorneys Billy Martin and Lawrence Woodward and prosecutor Gerald Poindexter.
As he left the courthouse, Martin was asked why Vick is fighting the state charges after pleading guilty in federal court.
``I can't tell you we're fighting them, I can't tell you we're taking a plea deal,'' Martin said. ``We're going to look at this matter and give him some legal advice and that has not been decided yet.''
Vick, who is being held at a Warsaw, Va., jail, faces up to five years in prison for his federal conviction.
The two state charges beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs, and engaging in or promoting dogfighting also are punishable by up to five years in prison each.
Vick's lawyers previously had indicated they will fight the state charges on the grounds he can't be convicted twice of the same crime. Woodward declined to discuss that strategy before Tuesday's court proceedings.
Campbell also set trial dates of March 5 for co-defendants Quanis L. Phillips and Purnell A. Peace and a May 7 trial for Tony Taylor.
Defense attorneys said they will have some pretrial motions, which they said can be considered together even though the men are being tried separately. No hearing dates were set.
Vick and the three co-defendants pleaded guilty to the federal charge in U.S. District Court in Richmond. In an Aug. 27 plea agreement, Vick admitted bankrolling a dogfighting enterprise and providing gambling money, as well as helping to kill six to eight dogs.
Tuesday, 10 protesters from the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals stood outside the courthouse in rural southeastern Virginia. They held placards with pictures of injured dogs and the messages ``Report Dogfighters!'' and ``Dogs Deserve Justice.''
``The message is loud and clear, that all dogfighters must be punished to the fullest extent of the law, no matter who they are,'' PETA protester Melissa Karpel said.
The dogfighting operation known as Bad Newz Kennels operated since 2001 on Vick's 15-acre spread in Surry County. A drug investigation of a Vick relative led authorities to the property, where they found more than 50 pit bulls and equipment commonly used in dogfighting.
Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL without pay, and he lost several lucrative endorsement deals. Also, an arbitrator has ruled Vick should repay the Falcons nearly $20 million in bonus money.
Michael Vick
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/11/204371