Originally published June 17, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified June 18, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Seahawks' Lofa Tatupu pleads not guilty

Seahawks middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu entered a plea of not guilty to driving under the influence. His attorney said he hopes to resolve the case before a hearing scheduled for July 7.

By José Miguel Romero

Seattle Times staff reporter

KIRKLAND — The attorney for Seahawks middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu entered a plea of not guilty on the charge of driving under the influence for his client this morning at Kirkland Municipal Court.

Tatupu, 25, was present in the crowded courtroom, wearing a dark suit. The not-guilty plea was the only legal business of the day for Tatupu, who was arrested May 10 in Kirkland after taking three field-sobriety tests and declining to take a portable Breathalyzer. His blood-alcohol content was measured at 0.155 and 0.158 in breath tests administered at the Kirkland Police Department.

A pretrial hearing is next for Tatupu. Judge Michael J. Lambo honored defense attorney Jon Scott Fox's request to schedule that hearing for July 7 after Lambo originally set the hearing for Aug. 4. However, Tatupu figures to be in training camp with the Seahawks in August, necessitating the scheduling request.

After the brief court appearance, Tatupu did not speak to reporters. Fox said he hopes to work with the Kirkland city prosecutor between now and July to resolve the case, and that today's hearing was what he termed a "lawyer's plea."

"This is done to preserve the status quo and to leave all of our options open," Fox said. "Between now and the pretrial conference, we intend to examine all of the legal and factual issues in this case. We've already begun that process. We also intend to move forward towards a positive resolution."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com

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