The State Attorney’s office for the 13th Judicial Circuit recently argued to keep a former NFL star behind bars until trial in Central Florida.
Former Green Bay Packers linebacker Mike Neal will remain behind bars on sexual battery charges until trial after prosecutors successfully argued he remains a danger to the victim and the community. Neal is charged with sexually battering a woman and filming the crime. He was also arrested earlier for domestic battery by strangulation against the same victim.
Neal recently appeared in court during a pretrial detention hearing where prosecutors entered the video into evidence. In the video, the victim can be heard crying and pleading for Neal to stop.
Prosecutors also submitted to the court a recorded phone call between Neal and the victim where he can be heard threatening to put the victim “in the grave.”
The state’s pretrial detention motion was granted due to the high probability of danger his release poses to the community and to the victim, according to the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s office.
The judge also noted the victim’s previous reports to law enforcement about beatings and strangulation by Neal and provided photographic evidence to the court.
“Our office stands with the victims of domestic and sexual violence, not just in words, but in action,” said State Attorney Suzy Lopez. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to protect survivors while giving them a voice as we fight for justice. It is clear this defendant poses a danger to the community, and that is why our prosecutors fought hard to keep him off the streets.”
The office’s Chief of Special Victims Unit Jessica Couvertier successfully argued the pretrial detention motion. The next step in the judicial process will be an arraignment hearing which had not yet been set.
