Former Seahawks player Derrick Coleman appeared at his arraignment Thursday to enter a plea to charges involving an injury crash last year.
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On Wednesday, prosecutors filed charges for a crash they say Coleman caused last year, then fled from the scene.
Coleman has maintained all along that he was not under the influence at the time of the crash in October.
Though prosecutors believe he was high on synthetic marijuana at the time of the crash, the charges he faces aren't about whether he was impaired.
He is charged with vehicular assault and felony hit-and-run.
Police say he was driving from Seahawks practice when his truck was seen going very slowly, then accelerating to 60 mph in a 35 mph zone. His pickup then slammed into another car near Factoria in Bellevue.
According to prosecutors, Coleman was barefoot when he left the scene and then walked for blocks, even though witnesses tried to keep him at the crash site.
In a statement released Wednesday, Coleman's attorney said, "The evidence in this case is both contradictory and complicated. Despite repeated press conferences by Bellevue police, we know that the best method for getting to the truth of what really happened is in the courtroom."
Coleman pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 12 to 14 months in jail.
Cox Media Group
