11:13 AM: Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey made his initial appearance in court today to face misdemeanor DUI charges.
Heyward-Bey, 25, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. on April 7 while driving east on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge on his way back to the East Bay after visiting a nightclub in San Francisco, his attorney Ivan Golde said.
Golde entered a not-guilty plea on his client’s behalf at an arraignment hearing on May 31. Heyward-Bey was not required to attend the arraignment but was ordered by San Francisco Superior Court Judge Donna Little to be present for this morning’s pretrial conference.
Golde asked the judge to continue the case to July 23 while he reviews the evidence.
Heyward-Bey did not speak to reporters outside of court, but Golde said a forensic toxicologist hired by the defense has found “serious issues” in the case.
He did not officer specifics, but said, “There are strict guidelines and rules that they have to follow” when making a DUI arrest.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Heyward-Bey was driving a 2012 Range Rover and was pulled over after officers observed him traveling slightly above the speed limit and weaving.
A chemical test conducted at the scene found that Heyward-Bey’s blood-alcohol content was .13 percent, and a Breathalyzer test conducted about an hour later found that his BAC was still .12 percent, prosecutors said.
Heyward-Bey was the Raiders’ top wide receiver last season, leading the team with 64 receptions and 965 receiving yards, both career highs.
The team’s training camp for the upcoming season starts in late July, near the date of Heyward-Bey’s next court date.
“We want to be sensitive to the Raiders and Mr. Heyward-Bey, they have training camp coming up,” Golde said. “But we want to make sure he gets a fair shake.”
8:34 AM: An Oakland Raiders wide receiver is expected to appear in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday to face misdemeanor DUI charges in connection with an April incident in which he was pulled over on the Bay Bridge after a night in San Francisco.
Darrius Heyward-Bey, 25, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. on April 7 while driving on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge after returning from a nightclub in San Francisco, his attorney Ivan Golde said last month.
Golde entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Heyward-Bey at his May 31 arraignment.
Heyward-Bey was not required to attend the arraignment but was ordered by Judge Donna Little to appear at his next hearing, a pre-trial conference scheduled for Thursday morning.
According to the California Highway Patrol, he was driving a 2012 Range Rover and was pulled over after officers observed him traveling slightly above the speed limit and weaving.
A chemical test at the scene recorded Heyward-Bey’s blood-alcohol content as .13 percent, and a Breathalyzer test conducted about an hour later found his BAC was still .12 percent, prosecutors said.
Golde said today that after investigating the case he thinks there may be some procedural problems the night of the traffic stop and because of that the case may go to trial.
“After investigating all the procedures and all the chain of events it appears not everything was done according to the rule of law, and there may be some questions that need to go before a jury,” Golde said.
Heyward-Bey was the Raiders’ top wide receiver last season, leading the team with 64 receptions and 965 yards, both career highs.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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