Prosecutor says Satterfield did not honor plea agreement

A judge has reset the sentencing of former University of Iowa football player Abe Satterfield to March 11.

Satterfield, 22, of Erie, Pa., was in Iowa City last week to testify at the sex abuse trial of former teammate Cedric Everson III, but Satterfield and his attorney, Alfredo Parrish, did not appear at Satterfield's sentencing hearing Friday, Jan. 21.

Judge Marsha Bergan wrote in an order for continuance filed Friday that while Parrish had filed a request that Bergan issue a written ruling, Satterfield had not waived his right to address the court in person at sentencing.

“The court finds that, without an express waiver of defendant's right of allocution, the court may not proceed to pronounce judgment and sentence,” Bergan wrote.

Satterfield and Everson, 21, of Atlanta, were accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman Oct. 14, 2007, in a UI dorm room. Prosecutors alleged Satterfield forced the woman to have sex and then allowed Everson to assault her while she was passed out.

Everson, 21, of Atlanta, Ga., was found guilty Thursday of assault, a simple misdemeanor punishable by up to 30 days in jail. He will be sentenced Feb. 25.

Satterfield was originally charged with second- and third-degree sex abuse, felonies that could have carried a combined 35 years in prison. He signed a plea deal in April allowing him to plead guilty to assault with intent to commit serious injury if he testified against Everson.

Assistant Johnson County Attorney Anne Lahey said Friday that Satterfield didn't live up to his end of the bargain.

“We believe it (the plea deal) wasn't honored,” Lahey said. “He didn't testify to what he said he was going to testify to.”

Still, Lahey said she and the victim made a joint decision not to fight Satterfield's plea agreement. “We just want closure for the victim,” she said.

The plea deal states Satterfield would get a suspended prison sentence with no terms of probation. If approved, he could be required to pay $625 and have no contact with the woman for five years. Bergan has the final word on the terms of the sentence.