Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey pleaded not guilty today to misdemeanor DUI charges stemming from an incident last month in which he was pulled over on the Bay Bridge while returning from a night out in San Francisco.
Heyward-Bey, 25, did not appear in San Francisco Superior Court this morning but his attorney, Ivan Golde, entered the not-guilty pleas on his behalf.
Heyward-Bey was pulled over at about 2 a.m. on April 7 while driving east on the lower deck of the bridge. He was returning to the East Bay from a nightclub in San Francisco, Golde said.
He was driving a 2012 Range Rover and was pulled over after officers observed him traveling slightly above the speed limit and weaving, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Heyward-Bey was arrested on suspicion of DUI after a chemical test recorded his blood-alcohol content at .13 percent. A Breathalyzer test conducted about an hour later found his BAC was still .12 percent, prosecutors said today.
The charges he faces are misdemeanor DUI and driving with a blood-alcohol content above the legal limit of .08, prosecutors said.
Golde said outside of court that his client has no prior convictions and this is his first DUI offense.
“Not that that’s something to be proud of, but this is a good guy,” he said. “This was an unfortunate incident, and Darrius will do whatever it takes to put this behind him and go forward.”
Heyward-Bey’s case will return to court on June 28 for a pre-trial conference, and Judge Donna Little ordered him to appear at that hearing in case a resolution is reached.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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