Ex-Bear David Terrell To Plead Not Guilty To Drug Charges
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Former Chicago Bears wide receiver David Terrell will plead not guilty to charges of battering a police officer and manufacturing or delivering marijuana, his attorney said Tuesday.
"Mr. Terrell adamantly denies any participation whatsoever in the alleged criminal acts," his attorney, Mark Sutter, said in a statement. "Mr. Terrell has faith that the criminal justice system will ultimately vindicate him."
Terrell, 35, was charged Friday with one felony count of manufacture or delivery of 30-500 grams of cannabis, and one misdemeanor count of battery, authorities said.
Officers responding about 1:20 p.m. Friday to a call of people smoking marijuana in a building in the 3900 block of South Calumet Avenue found Terrell and two others with cannabis and "materials to package and distribute narcotics" in plain view, police said.
Terrell, of the 1800 block of South Calumet Av., allegedly struck an officer's hand during an interview and "resisted and attempted to defeat the arrest," police said. A second officer also suffered a hand injury while taking Terrell into custody.
On Saturday, Judge Laura Sullivan ordered Terrell held on a $20,000 bond, Cook County State's Attorney's office spokeswoman Lisa Gordon said.
Terrell posted the required 10 percent bail—$2,000—after his bond hearing and was released prior to being assigned a jail cell.
The statement from Terrell's attorney said: "There is no evidence in the record that would indicate that Mr. Terrell had any possessory interest in the recovered contraband, or that he was in any way affiliated with or accountable for the acts of other individuals that were arrested on the same charges."Terrell is scheduled to return to court Sept. 3, according to the state's attorney's office.
The Bears selected the University of Michigan standout with the eighth pick in the 2001 NFL draft, but he was only on the team from 2001-04. He started 15 games and had 42 receptions for 699 yards and a touchdown in his final season with the Bears. He played one game for the Denver Broncos in 2005, his final season in the NFL.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
