Oakland Raider Heyward-Bey Makes Court Appearance In DUI Case
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey made his initial appearance in court Thursday to face misdemeanor DUI charges.
Heyward-Bey, 25, was pulled over 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 Thursday'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."
