INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) - The first court hearing for former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez was held in Indianapolis on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old is facing charges of battery resulting in serious bodily injury, battery resulting in bodily injury, unauthorized entry of a motor vehicle, and public intoxication.
Sanchez was stabbed during a fight with a truck driver outside an Indianapolis hotel on October 4, according to police.
During the pretrial conference, Judge James. B. Osborn confirmed the following upcoming court dates:
* Thursday, November 20: Omnibus hearing
* Tuesday, December 2: Final pretrial conference
* Thursday, December 11: Jury trial begins
“Thank you for allowing our client to be excused from today’s hearing. He’s still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the medical intervention, so that process is ongoing and may impact some of the dates, but right now, we’ll note those dates for our calendar,” defense attorney Edward Timothy Delaney said.
According to 21Alive’s NBC affiliate WTHR, Sanchez’s attorneys were unavailable to speak with their team following the pretrial conference.
However, they did share with WTHR that they are continuing to work with law enforcement to document evidence, while also continuing to support Perry Tole in his recovery.
Prosecutors say they are doubtful of the jury trial starting in December due to Sanchez’s ongoing recovery.
Sanchez’s initial court hearing was scheduled for October 7. However, Sanchez’s lawyers filed a motion to waive Sanchez’s initial hearing and enter a plea of not guilty.
On October 14, Judge Jennifer Prinz Harrison recused herself in the case, which was randomly reassigned to another major felony court.
Sanchez has not returned to FOX Sports’ broadcast team since the incident.
He was in Indianapolis for FOX’s coverage of the October 5 game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sanchez had a 10-year NFL career before retiring in 2019. He spent four seasons with the New York Jets and also appeared in games with Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington.
He appeared on ABC and ESPN for two years before joining FOX Sports as a game analyst in 2021.
Incident
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According to the IMPD, the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. on October 4, when officers were dispatched to a report of a physical disturbance in the [300 block of West Washington Street](https://maps.app.goo.gl/pxcMPWsJUgTgNZd2A).
The department says officers arrived at the scene to find two men, later identified as 69-year-old Perry Tole and 38-year-old Mark Sanchez, injured.
First responders on the scene determined that Tole suffered lacerations while Sanchez sustained ‘injuries consistent with stab wounds’.
As a result, both men were taken to local hospitals to receive medical care.
According to court documents, Tole said in an interview with police that Sanchez approached him in an alley near the scene while he was in a large box truck that was backed into the loading docks of the Westin Indianapolis and Indianapolis Marriott Downtown.
The court documents then identify Tole as an employee for a company that specializes in commercial cooking oil recycling and disposal, and noted that he was working when Sanchez approached him.
In his interview, Tole told police that Sanchez opened the driver’s door of his truck and told him that he couldn’t be at the loading dock.
During the interaction, Tole said he didn’t have his hearing aids in because the truck is “very loud”, so he had to lean in close to Sanchez.
According to Tole, Sanchez smelled of alcohol, and his speech was slurred.
Tole, who was confused by Sanchez, then told Sanchez he needed to contact the hotel manager to figure out what was going on.
That’s when court documents say Sanchez climbed up into the cab of the truck, leaned over the driver’s seat, and looked in toward the middle areas between the seats.
Once Sanchez was inside the vehicle, Tole says he told him he wasn’t allowed to be inside the truck, to which Sanchez then came down.
The court documents say Sanchez then allegedly kept repeating that he spoke to the hotel manager and that Tole did not need to be there. He then proceeded to enter the cab of the truck again.
Tole told police he knew at that time that he had a problem, so he tried to get his cellphone from the truck, but Sanchez blocked him from doing so.
Tole then walked to the front of the truck, to which Sanchez followed him.
After that, Tole says he walked over to the opposite loading dock area of The Westin Indianapolis and Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, in an attempt to flag down nearby security.
Unsuccessful, Tole says he then walked back to the passenger side of the truck, but Sanchez blocked him. He attempted the same thing other side of the vehicle, but was blocked by Sanchez again.
Detectives say in surveillance video from the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Sanchez can then be seen grabbing and throwing Tole toward a wall.
When Tole realized he was in physical danger, he says he reached into his pocket and grabbed his pepper spray and sprayed Sanchez in the face.
According to court documents, Sanchez wiped his face and started going toward Tole again, at which point Tole said he thought “this guy is trying to kill me,” so he pulled his knife, and when Sanchez came at him, he struck him with it two or three times.
After the stabbing, court documents say Tole found himself falling back into a dumpster and onto the pallets on the ground and wasn’t aware of what Sanchez was doing to him, whether he was punching him or otherwise striking him.
While Tole was on the ground, court documents say he saw Sanchez coming toward him again, so he stood up and struck him with the knife one more time.
Tole says Sanchez looked at him with a “look of shock” for a brief moment before turning and running back into the alley.
According to court documents, Tole’s statement closely matches the surveillance video detectives watched from the Marriott.
A knife was also collected from the driver’s seat of the truck.
IMPD announced around 5 p.m. October 4 that Sanchez had been arrested for his alleged role in the incident.
Victim’s condition
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According to family, Tole is having difficulty speaking due to the facial injuries suffered during the alleged attack. Family says Tole has a large gash on his face that is “several” inches long and that the side of his face was cut open all the way through his cheek and into his tongue.
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