SUSSEX COUNTY

A Surry County grand jury added to Michael Vick’s legal problems today by charging him and three associates with local offenses related to dogfighting.

Vick, a Hampton Roads native and the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback, is charged with one count of beating, killing or causing dogs to fight; and one count of engaging in or promoting dogfighting.

The charges are class six felonies punishable by up to five years in prison.

The three men - Quanis Phillips, Purnell Peace and Tony Taylor - convicted along with Vick in a federal dogfighting conspiracy case this summer face similar local charges.

The grand jury passed on indicting Vick and two co-defendants on eight counts of animal cruelty, which would have exposed them to as many as 40 years in prison if convicted.

Surry County Commonwealth's Attorney Gerald G. Poindexter asked that the four be arraigned Oct. 3 and requested that each be released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond. None of the defendants or their lawyers were in court.

Poindexter has been saying for months that he planned to charge Vick locally but would never say definitively when.

Today, Poindexter issued this written statement: "These are serious charges and we can assure you that this grand jury was not driven by racial prejudice, their affection or lack of affection for professional athletes, or the influence of animal rights activists and the attendant publicity. The grand jury represents the conscience of the good people of Surry County."

He refused any other comment on the case.

The grand jury, made up of four women and two men, met in Sussex County because the Surry County courthouse is being renovated.

Local authorities first searched Vick’s property at 1915 Moonlight Road in April after Vick’s cousin, Davon Boddie, was arrested on drug charges in Hampton. Police found more than 50 dogs and items associated with dogfighting at the house, where Boddie had been living.

Six weeks later, when local authorities let a search warrant expire, federal agents arrived with their own warrants and started digging up dog carcasses buried days before the first raid.

Poindexter, who had been widely criticized for the pace of the investigation, reacted angrily when the feds moved in, suggesting that Vick’s celebrity was a draw, or that their pursuit of the case could have racial overtones. He later eased off those comments, saying the sides would simply be pursuing parallel investigations.

Vick pleaded guilty in August to the federal charge after his three co-defendants took pleas and agreed to work with the government. They are all awaiting sentencing.

Federal court records say the operation, Bad Newz Kennels, conducted fights late at night and early in the morning. The indictment says some of the matches took place on the second floor of a shed behind the house.

Dogs that didn’t perform well were killed by drowning, electricution and other means. Vick bankrolled the operation, in which thousands of dollars were bet on fights on Moonlight Road and in other states, including North Carolina and Maryland.

Vick has been suspended from the NFL indefinitely and has lost lucrative contracts from companies such as Nike.

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