Miami-Dade County is a joke!!

[goterps74]

Redskins' Taylor to Accept a Plea Deal
Felony Charges Will Be Dismissed

By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 1, 2006; E01



MIAMI, May 31 -- A plea deal has been reached in the felony assault case involving Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor that ensures Taylor will not spend a day in jail and the felony charges against him will be dismissed, one of Taylor's attorneys said Wednesday.

Taylor, who faced up to 46 years in prison over charges related to a street fight last June, agreed to the plea terms Wednesday, according to attorney Larry R. Handfield, who joined Taylor's defense team in February.

The agreement, which will require the approval of Judge Leonard Glick, will be presented during a hearing Thursday morning in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court at the Richard E. Gerstein Justice Building.

Handfield said Taylor, the Redskins' No. 1 draft pick in 2004, has agreed to plead no contest to one misdemeanor battery charge and one misdemeanor assault charge. The deal includes a withholding of a conviction, Handfield said, and the dismissal of three charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon that each carried a mandatory minimum three-year sentence.

Taylor also agreed to visit 10 schools in the inner city, providing $1,000 to each school, according to Handfield.

Taylor's trial had been scheduled for July 10, about three weeks before the start of Redskins training camp. The deal, if accepted by the judge, would bring an end to a case that included seven delays and threatened to intersect with the upcoming season.

"Even though I was certain he would be vindicated at trial, this avoids the risk associated with any trial," Handfield said. "With the present charges, he was looking at 45 years in prison if he was found guilty. This way, he can be in training camp and put this behind him, close this chapter in his life."

Ed Griffith, a spokesman at the Miami-Dade State Attorney's office, declined to comment.

Taylor's defense team met with prosecutor Abe Laeser on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to Handfield and Taylor's lead attorney, Richard Sharpstein. Sharpstein, an attorney with the Washington-based Jorden Burt firm, declined to comment for this story on whether a deal had been reached.

Laeser is a respected veteran of the state attorney's office who took over the case about six weeks ago after allegations surfaced that the previous prosecutor, Mike Grieco, was using it to promote his side career as a Miami Beach disc jockey. After Grieco stepped down from the case, Taylor's trial was postponed from early May to mid-July.

The charges against Taylor stem from a fight in Miami that occurred last June 1 after Taylor went searching for two all-terrain vehicles he believed had been stolen from him. Police reports and depositions describing the incident said Taylor brandished a gun and issued threats before initiating a fistfight with the man he believed had stolen his property.

After retreating from the fight that involved at least a dozen people, according to depositions and court records, shots were fired into Taylor's GMC Yukon Denali while it was parked at a friend's house.

Days after the incident, Taylor was charged with one count of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor battery, which carry a combined maximum of 16 years in prison. In January, the prosecution brought two other felony charges, each adding another possible 15 years imprisonment.

Taylor acknowledged that a fight occurred but claimed it was prompted by the prosecution's main alleged victim, Ryan Hill, according to Ed Carhart, one of Taylor's attorneys. Taylor said Hill, against whom Taylor played high school football in Miami, attempted to force his way into Taylor's Denali and then threw Taylor to the ground, Carhart said.

Carhart also said Taylor denied waving a weapon.

Carhart did not return a call seeking comment Wednesday but said last week the case "weighs heavily on [Taylor] and is very frustrating for him. This is not easy to go through. If a jury decides to convict him, the judge has to give him three years at least."

Taylor's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, could not be reached. Taylor was credited last season with 80 tackles, third-most among the Redskins, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and one sack. Taylor attended Gulliver Prep in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is chief of police in Florida City, Fla.

[Dr. Jack]

Yes, if you have money.

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

Yes, if you have money.

Did u also hear about this??

Arenas Disputes Police Account
By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, May 31, 2006; E04



Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas denied making comments attributed to him in a police report detailing his arrest on Saturday night in Miami Beach. Arenas and Awvee Storey, who played with the Wizards last season, were arrested and charged with disobeying police after they got out of a vehicle on a street packed with people during an event known as Urban Beach Week.

As Arenas was arrested, according to the police report, he said: "You can't arrest me. I'm a basketball player. I play for the Washington Wizards and I'm not going to leave my teammate."

Arenas said he never made such a statement.

"All I did was get out of the car to ask where they were taking Awvee so I could come get him out, and some officer comes up from behind and cuffs me," Arenas said in a phone interview.

"Everyone knows me. They know I don't have a cocky personality. I don't use my name to get in trouble and I don't use my name to get out of trouble. That would never come out of my mouth."

Arenas said he and Storey were riding in a limousine in heavy traffic when Storey got out of the vehicle after recognizing a former teammate. According to the police report, Storey was asked by an officer to get back onto the sidewalk. When Storey did not leave the street, the officer arrested him.

Arenas and Storey were processed and released after paying a fine. A total of 557 people, including Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes, were arrested between Thursday morning and Saturday night on Miami Beach during an annual event that attracts several thousand people. This year, police beefed up their presence during the event.

Arenas called Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball, on Sunday to explain what happened. Arenas will be one of 23 players trying out for the men's national team beginning July 19 in Las Vegas, and Colangelo has emphasized character in his selections. "I just wanted him to know that this wasn't a situation where I was out of control, disrespecting police," Arenas said. "That's not how I am."

Wizards Note: Juan Carlos Navarro, who was selected in the second round of the 2002 draft by the Wizards, is interested in leaving Europe for the NBA. The Wizards control Navarro's NBA rights but his contract with FC Barcelona contains a hefty buyout clause. Navarro, a shooting guard, is considered one of the top players in Europe.

"It's a door I do not want to close," Navarro said during a news conference yesterday in Barcelona. "I have been thinking about [playing in the NBA] this year, but there are many complications."

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

Yes, if you have money.

Not only was this case stupid, but downright funny. I read that the prosecutor got in trouble because he was running a DJ business!!!

[Dr. Jack]

Yeah it's all over the news here. I just chalked it up to be Wizards fun. lol

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by goterps74

Not only was this case stupid, but downright funny. I read that the prosecutor got in trouble because he was running a DJ business!!!

and he had a myspace page and had pictures of him all drunk and about this case. It's the biggest reason he got the plea.

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

and he had a myspace page and had pictures of him all drunk and about this case. It's the biggest reason he got the plea.

Do they run the county like Hazzard County or something?? LOL

This is downright ridiclious.

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by goterps74

Do they run the county like Hazzard County or something?? LOL

This is downright ridiclious.

I am not sure how he got the job. It's another bright spot in Sunny Florida. lol

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

I am not sure how he got the job. It's another bright spot in Sunny Florida. lol

U should consider yourself lucky that those snipers didnt hit Miami.

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by goterps74

U should consider yourself lucky that those snipers didnt hit Miami.

Yeah but this is also the same county that gave life without parole to a 12 year old boy.

Snipers would have got death here in a heartbeat.

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

Yeah but this is also the same county that gave life without parole to a 12 year old boy.

I should have added that he killed a little girl while baby sitting with a wrestling move. The conviction was over turned and they gave him a plea. He recently violated his probation by robbing a pizze delivery driver and now is serving 30 years.

Oh yeah and his mom is a Florida State Trooper

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

Yeah but this is also the same county that gave life without parole to a 12 year old boy.

Snipers would have got death here in a heartbeat.

I think your bumbling law force would have screwed up something.

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by goterps74

I think your bumbling law force would have screwed up something.

But he would have got the notoriety he was looking for by getting his own myspace page.

[goterps74]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jack

But he would have got the notoriety he was looking for by getting his own myspace page.

I dont get it. All these Washington based athletes and even the Nats Gm (Jim Bowden) got in trouble in Miami. Must be something in the water down there!

[Dr. Jack]

Originally Posted by goterps74

I dont get it. All these Washington based athletes and even the Nats Gm (Jim Bowden) got in trouble in Miami. Must be something in the water down there!

It's called South Beach. People can't contain themselves when they drink and are partying in SB. That's the answer.