Seahawks’ Quinton Dunbar plea: not guilty. Now prosecutors to decide whether to proceed
Quinton Dunbar has entered his plea.
Now it’s up to prosecutors to decide whether there’s a case.
The Seahawks cornerback officially entered his plea of not guilty in 17th Circuit Court of Florida in Fort Lauderadale Tuesday. Dunbar is facing four counts of felony armed robbery stemming from a house party in Miramar, Florida, last week.
Broward County court records posted early Wednesday showed Dunbar’s plea for each of his four counts.
His co-defendant in the case, New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker, entered a plea of not guilty to eight felony charges: the same four as Dunbar, plus four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm.
Prosecutors will now spend likely weeks reviewing evidence before deciding whether to pursue the case. If they do, the formal pursuit of charges would continue in an arraignment toward a trial.
The Broward State Attorney’s office and the Miramar, Florida, police department that requested the arrest warrant for Dunbar for alleged robberies at a party Wednesday night had asked for a “no-bond hold” to keep him in jail.
A judge issued that arrest warrant on Thursday. Dunbar, 27, surrendered to authorities Saturday afternoon. His lawyer sought to get the warrant rescinded. Miami attorney Michael Grieco told The News Tribune and other media outlets Friday and argued in court Sunday he had affidavits from four victims and one witness that say the Seahawks player was not involved in the crime.
A Miramar police department detective filed statements of probable cause and sought the arrest warrant based on statements from the same four victims and one witness that said Dunbar did participate in the robberies. One of the victims said he used a gun. About 36 hours later, all five people “completely recanted” to him their statements to police, Grieco said.
Aaron Passy is the assistant state attorney for Florida’s 17th judicial district who represented the prosecution at a bond hearing Sunday. He is skeptical of the motives of those witnesses for allegedly changing their stories.
Passy said in court Sunday it is “suspect” that “the same four victims have now, within 48 hours ... have gone and recanted — and only in regards to Dunbar,” not Baker.
Passy wanted to know why the affidavits Grieco obtained were even part of Sunday’s bond hearing.
Passy told judge Michael Davis of the 17th Circuit Court: “Because, like counsel has said, the detective has yet confirm with these witnesses if they’ve recanted, why they’ve recanted. And this is all important information.”
As he waits for the prosecution to consider evidence and to decide whether to proceed, Dunbar is prohibited from leaving Florida. That is one of the terms of his bail release from jail. Another term: Dunbar must check in twice per week by telephone with the court’s pretrial services office.
The Seahawks are not conducting team activities for the foreseeable future, so there is no apparent NFL requirement for Dunbar to be out of Florida. Team facilities across the league remain closed by the coronavirus pandemic.
It is likely the next team requirement for Dunbar’s presence with the Seahawks will be the start of training camp. That is scheduled to be the final week of July at team headquarters in Renton. But Seattle’s and all NFL team facilities remain closed indefinitely, as Washington and most states continue to keep non-essential businesses closed to contain the COVID-19 virus.
Dunbar and a fellow NFL player witness statements said is a Miami childhood friend, Baker are accused of robbing fellow party-goes at a house in Miramar of expensive watches and thousands of dollars in cash after a dice game gone bad.
Grieco, Dunbar’s attorney, said the closeness of Dunbar’s relationship with Baker has been overblown. The lawyer also says it is not true what a witness told police at the party scene, that Dunbar and Baker had lost $70,000 gambling at another party a few days before the alleged crime.
Grieco read in court on Sunday what he says are affidavits from the four victims and one witness who gave a Miramar police detective the probable cause for an arrest warrant at the party early Thursday morning. Grieco told The News Tribune Friday and the judge Sunday that the five witnesses recanted the stories they had originally told police and that on the affidavits those witnesses now say Dunbar was not involved.
“There is no physical evidence. There is no corroborating evidence, beyond the initial five statements of these individuals, whatsoever,” Grieco told the judge.
Grieco then read to the judge the sworn statements he says he received from the witnesses.
“The gathering we attended included 15 to 20 attendees, including DeAndre Baker and Quinton Dunbar,” Grieco read. “At some point between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. midnight there was an altercation among several individuals. The argument was related to a dice-gambling game.
“Any robbery or assault, with or without a firearm, did not involve Mr. Dunbar. Mr. Dunbar fled the home, and did not re-enter at any time. Mr. Dunbar did not directly, or indirectly, participate in any robbery or assist in collecting any valuables at the scene, or elsewhere.
“This was signed off on by all four victims and the witness, all of whom spoke with police.”
Grieco, as he did to The News Tribune and other media outlets Friday, told the judge this was “a bogus case.”
