Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees appears in court

SOUTH BEND — In less time than it takes to run a play from scrimmage, Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees appeared briefly in court Thursday morning to enter a not guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of re-sisting law enforcement, battery and minor consumption.

Rees, dressed in a dark suit, said nothing in court while attorney George Horn spoke briefly with the misdemeanor and traffic court magistrate, in a court appearance that lasted about 30 seconds.

Rees' brief appearance, however, was longer than that of teammate linebacker Carlo Calabrese, who did not appear in court, opting instead to have his attorney represent him.

Calabrese is charged with one count of misdemeanor intimidation for allegedly threatening a South Bend police officer during a party raid on May 3 in South Bend. Rees' charges stem from actions that allegedly occurred at the same party.

Andrew White, deputy prosecuting attorney, said it's not unusual for defendants to be represented by their attorney at an initial hearing, but said that a not guilty plea must be entered in person — meaning Calabrese will likely have to plead not guilty at his next appear-ance, a status hearing scheduled for June 21.

After appearing in court, both Rees and his attorney refused to answer questions from the media, which followed the quarterback from his courthouse exit, 60 steps down the sidewalk, to a waiting black sports utility vehicle, which was quickly driven away.

Staff writer Dave Stephens:
dstephens@sbtinfo.com
574-235-6209