The situation around former Denver Broncos quarterback Mark Sanchez continues to evolve, and not for the better for the No. 5 overall pick of the 2009 draft.
Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears spoke to a gathering of media members on Monday. He addressed the seriousness of the new charges. Sanchez also faces a potential sentence of 1-to-6 years in jail.
However, Mears also stressed that the investigation is far from over.
Ex-Broncos Backup Faces Jail Time in Upgraded Charges
GettyMark Sanchez #6 of the Denver Broncos warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Rams.
“We received an amended, or an additional probable cause affidavit this morning. Again, this is something that happens in virtually every case here in Marion County. And with that additional information, we have added more serious charges against Mr. Sanchez. At this point in time, we have filed a felony charge, a level-5 felony of battery involving serious bodily injury, which contains a penalty of 1-to-6 years,” Mears told reporters on October 6.
“I want to stress to everybody … that we are still in the early stages of this investigation. Chief and his team have a number of search warrants that are still outstanding. They’re still tracking down additional information. This is by no means the end of this investigation. This by no means means that these are going to be the final charges that we move forward with.”
According to Ganote on October 6, Sanchez’s attorneys filed a motion to waive his initial hearing, which was scheduled for October 7 at 8:30 a.m. ET. The motion was granted by the judge assigned to the case, per Ganote in a follow-up post soon after.
“A pretrial conference his next/first court date is set for 11/04/2025 8:30 AM,” Ganote said.
Sanchez spent 10 years in the NFL, including the 2016 offseason with the Broncos. He has since moved into broadcasting with Fox Sports. He must appear at the pretrial conference.
Report: Mark Sanchez Attacked 69-Year-Old Truck Driver
GettyMark Sanchez #6 of the Denver Broncos runs onto the field before a game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Early reports framed the incident as an attempted robbery and Sanchez as the victim, but reports from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department quickly debunked that.
According to a probable cause report filed by Detective Joshua Stayers and obtained by Fox 59’s Angela Ganote, officers arrived at Loughmiller’s Pub & Eatery” some time after being dispatched at 12:35 a.m. on October 4.
They encountered Sanchez, who had “several stab wounds to his upper right torso area.” At the hospital, Sanchez could only recall “grabbing for a window.”
Sanchez had no recollection of the event or the other party involved.
A witness reported to police that they saw two individuals, later identified as Sanchez and the other party involved in his altercation, a 69-year-old truck driver. The witness thought they were “wrestling.” They shrugged it off as two friends at first glance until seeing the driver stumbling.
Video surveillance taken from two hotels lining the alley in which the altercation occurred shows Sanchez “jogging” up to the other party’s – identified in the report only as “P.T.” – truck.
An extended back-and-forth included security guards at the Westin, where “P.T.” was parked.
Then, per the report, as “P.T.” attempted to “dart” for the driver’s side door of his truck, Sanchez can be seen on video “grabbing and throwing P.T. towards the wall of the Westin.” The scuffle went from “up against a dumpster” to “towards the middle of the alley.”
“Mr. Sanchez is then seen throwing P.T. to the ground” as a vehicle that was driving by passed, before “turning and running” as P.T. got to his feet.
Defendant Claims Mark Sanchez ‘Smelled of Alcohol’ & ‘Slurred’ Speech
GettyTV Announcer and former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez on the field before a game between the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
Audio from the 911 call obtained by TMZ and released on October 4 revealed a heavy response to the location of the incident involving the former Broncos QB, Sanchez.
According to the filed report, “P.T.’s statement closely matches the video.”
“P.T.” claimed that Sanchez approached him, asserting that he (Sanchez) had spoken with the owners of the Westin. Sanchez said the owners did not want the driver to change out the frying oil, as he was doing when approached by the former QB.
“P.T.” initially believed the “well dressed and groomed” Sanchez could be a manager at the hotel. They also noted the TV analyst “smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred.”
Sanchez began the altercation by opening the truck’s driver’s side door.
Sanchez also got and attempted to get inside the truck, even after “P.T.” advised him that it was not allowed. Fox Sports released an initial statement supporting Sanchez following the early reports. They have maintained silence as details continue emerging in the ongoing investigation.
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