Vick, co-defendants indicted on state charges

SUSSEX, Va. — Michael Vick and three co-defendants were indicted by a grand jury Tuesday on state charges related to a dogfighting ring operated on Vick’s Virginia property.

Vick, who already pleaded guilty in federal court to a dogfighting conspiracy charge and is awaiting sentencing Dec. 10, was indicted on one count of beating or killing or causing dogs to fight other dogs and one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting. Each count is a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

The grand jury declined to indict Vick and two co-defendants on eight counts of killing or causing to be killed a companion animal, which would have exposed them to as many as 40 years in prison if convicted.

“We are disappointed that these charges were filed in Surry County since it is the same conduct covered by the federal indictment for which Mr. Vick has already accepted full responsibility” and pleaded guilty, Billy Martin, one of Vick’s attorneys, said in a statement.

Martin said Vick’s legal team would examine the charges “to ensure that he is not held accountable for the same conduct twice.”

Laura Taylor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said the office would have no comment.

The charges are the first leveled against Vick in the county where he built a home on 15 acres that was the base of the dogfighting operation.

The grand jury — made up of two black men, two black women and two white women — met for more than three hours.

In a written plea for the federal case, Vick admitted helping kill six to eight dogs at the property. Similarly, his three co-defendants have admitted their involvement and detailed what they claim was Vick’s role.

For county law enforcement officials, who started the investigation with a raid on Vick’s property in late April, those signed statements provided ample evidence to support further prosecution.

Emancipation Proclamation goes on display in Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — As she looked at the Emancipation Proclamation, Catherine Jewell-Gill recalled her days of picking cotton in Arkansas as a child and later becoming a teacher and principal.

Jewell-Gill was among more than 2,100 people who filed through the Clinton Library on Saturday to see the three-page document that declared the end to slavery. Jewell-Gill, 72, said having the document in Little Rock during the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High School pulls history together.

“I think it coincides beautifully,” she said.

More than 10,000 people are expected to file past the proclamation during its four-day stay in the city, a rare trip outside the National Archive.

On Saturday, people came from as far away as California for a chance to look at the document’s cursive script and President Abraham Lincoln’s signature. The calligraphy drew Abby Loyd’s attention.

“I think it’s amazing,” said Loyd, 30, of Little Rock.

The proclamation, issued in the midst of the Civil War, comes as Little Rock celebrates the 50th anniversary of nine black students braving angry white crowds to attend classes at Central High. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dispatched federalized troops to protect the students and uphold the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that segregated schools are unconstitutional.

That history drew Martina Westmoreland and her husband and son from Pasadena, Calif., to Little Rock for the weekend.

“It’s exciting to be a part of this anniversary,” said Westmoreland, 62. “I’m also very much impressed with Little Rock itself. … I always think of civil rights as being a problematic period, but I like the way that Little Rock is saying it’s celebrating 50 years of integration.”

L.A. firefighter served dog food settles with city for $1.43M

LOS ANGELES — The city will pay $1.43 million to settle claims by a black firefighter who said he suffered harassment and discrimination after co-workers served him spaghetti laced with dog food, officials announced last Friday.

The settlement between the City Council, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Tennie Pierce was reached before the firefighter’s lawsuit was to go to trial Monday.

Under terms of the deal, Pierce will receive about $60,000 in back pay, city clerk Frank Martinez said in a statement. Pierce, who has been on unpaid leave, also agreed to resign from the Fire Department and drop all claims against the city.

The payment is considerably less than a $2.7 million settlement the City Council agreed to pay Pierce last year. That deal was later vetoed by Villaraigosa when photos surfaced on a Web site showing Pierce participating in hazing pranks.

Last week, legal experts warned the City Council that Pierce’s lawsuit could cost the city more than $7 million if it goes to trial.

Pierce sued the city in 2005 after fellow firefighters mixed dog food into his spaghetti dinner. He said he suffered retaliation, verbal slurs, insults and derogatory remarks for reporting the incident.

The settlement pushes the total cost of the case to $2.8 million once the $1.3 million in legal fees accumulated by the city since December are factored in, a city attorney spokesman said. That amount is about $100,000 more than the settlement offered by the council last year but vetoed the mayor.

Pierce’s claim was one of several lawsuits alleging a pattern of harassment and discrimination against women or minorities working for the department. The cases have cost taxpayers more than $15 million since 2005, including a record $6.2 million judgment to Brenda Lee, a black lesbian firefighter who said she was taunted and retaliated against for complaining.

Douglas Barry, who served as interim chief for nine months, became the city’s first black fire chief when he was sworn in last week.