Pacers’ Stephen Jackson Pleads Not Guilty

By Mark Hoerrner

Dressed in a dark suit, a pensive Stephen Jackson appeared before Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford in handcuffs during his first court appearance since his Oct. 6 incident at at Club Rio, an Indiana strip club.

Jackson and three other players – Marquis Daniels, Jamaal Tinsley and Jimmie Hunter – squared off against Deon Willford and a group of friends at the club. Police say that Jackson fired a gun during the fight, though there is some contention as to how and when the gun was fired.

"A group of thugs attacked a group of young men who were there, some of which were the Indiana Pacers," Jackson attorney James Voyles told the Associated Press. "There was a fight. There were threatening things that went on in that event, and during the course of that, self-defense was used."

Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi said that police believe Jackson fired his weapon at least five times during the fight but are unclear as to when the shooting actually took place. Also unclear is when Jackson received facial wounds from the attack – during a physical bout with Quentin "Fingers" Willford or after being struck by a car driven by Deon "Dino" Willford.

"Firing the shots in the air at that point is criminal recklessness," Brizzi said. "Those bullets, once they come up, have to come down, and they come down at least 90 mph, and they do absolutely have the ability to take someone's life."

The case is pivotal for Jackson who is already on probation for the fight with Detroit Pistons fans dating back nearly two years. If convicted, he could immediately be faced with jail time and fines related to violating probation and serving a sentence for the felony and misdemeanor charges related to the event.

Jackson’s court appearance has forced him to miss practice, but coaches are confident he’ll be making an appearance on a different court.

"He'll have to catch up, ad he will," Pacers Head Coach Rick Carlisle said. "He's a smart guy. He picks things up very quickly and he's a veteran, so I'm not worried about it."