'Skins' Taylor could face minimum 3-year sentence
MIAMI -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor would face a minimum prison sentence of three years if convicted on charges of pointing a gun during a dispute about an all-terrain vehicle.
A trial date was set for Sept. 12, the day after the Redskins open their season.
State prosecutors filed charges Friday against the 22-year-old former University of Miami star. He faces a single count of aggravated assault with a firearm and a misdemeanor charge of simple battery, said Michael Greico, assistant state attorney.
Taylor allegedly was among a group of people who got into a June 1 armed confrontation over a vehicle the player and his associates believed had been stolen. Another man in the group, 19-year-old Charles Caughman, also faces aggravated assault charges. He is accused of threatening and chasing someone with a baseball bat.
Taylor, the No. 5 overall draft pick by the Redskins in 2004, did not appear in court and has filed a written plea of not guilty.
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| Sean Taylor has had a turbulent first year as a pro football player. (Getty Images) |
Greico said the charges involve three victims. He would not comment on the substance of the case but said Taylor faces a maximum prison term of 16 years.
Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million deal with the Redskins after he was drafted. The team has excused him from further offseason practices and meetings so he can concentrate on his case.
Taylor was charged with drunken driving in October after attending a birthday party for Redskins receiver Rod Gardner. Those charges were dismissed, but Taylor was convicted for refusing to take a blood-alcohol test. The conviction was later dismissed.
Taylor also has fired two agents, was fined for skipping one day of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium and was accused of spitting on a player during a game at Cincinnati.
