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Talib's battery case continued in Pinellas courtroom

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TBO.com

Published: November 9, 2009

CLEARWATER - Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib's trial on a charge of misdemeanor battery was continued after a brief hearing today in Pinellas County.

The next pretrial hearing in the case will be Dec. 14, said Wes Trombley, an attorney with the firm representing the football player.

Talib entered a written plea of not guilty through his attorneys and was not at today's hearing.

Talib was charged in October with battery after hitting a cab driver on Aug. 19, the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office said.

Driver David Duggan was taking Talib and two other Buccaneer players from a St. Petersburg nightclub to a Tampa hotel when Talib hit Duggan, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors asked Duggan about granting permission for Talib to enter a pretrial intervention program for first offenders that could lessen the sentence, but Duggan did not agree, he said today.

The victim must agree for a defendant to enter the pretrial program.

He has not received an apology from Talib, Duggan said.

"Why should I give him anything?" he asked.

A Bucs spokesman has said the team is letting the legal process finish before deciding anything.

The next hearing is expected to be another over how the case is progressing, Trombley said.

If another extension is granted the football season could end before the misdemeanor case is resolved. The Bucs play their last game Jan. 3.

Duggan said he was driving about 70 mph on Interstate 275 when he was hit.

"The car went from the center lane to the left lane and back to the right lane," Duggan said.

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