Raiders Player to Appear in Court on DUI Charges

An Oakland Raiders wide receiver is expected to appear in San Francisco Superior Court on Thursday to face misdemeanor DUI charges in connection with an April incident in which he was pulled over on the Bay Bridge after a night in San Francisco.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, 25, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. on April 7 while driving on the lower deck of the Bay Bridge after returning from a nightclub in San Francisco, his attorney Ivan Golde said last month.

Golde entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of Heyward-Bey at his May 31 arraignment. Heyward-Bey was not required to attend the arraignment but was ordered by Judge Donna Little to appear at his next hearing, a pre-trial conference scheduled for Thursday morning.

According to the California Highway Patrol, he was driving a 2012 Range Rover and was pulled over after officers observed him traveling slightly above the speed limit and weaving.

A chemical test at the scene recorded Heyward-Bey's blood-alcohol content as .13 percent, and a Breathalyzer test conducted about an hour later found his BAC was still .12 percent, prosecutors said.

Golde said today that after investigating the case he thinks there may be some procedural problems the night of the traffic stop and because of that the case may go to trial.

"After investigating all the procedures and all the chain of events it appears not everything was done according to the rule of law, and there may be some questions that need to go before a jury," Golde said.

Heyward-Bey was the Raiders' top wide receiver last season, leading the team with 64 receptions and 965 yards, both career highs.