By Mark Maske
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 8, 2007

The Surry County, Va., prosecutor who is handling the Michael Vick case was reelected Tuesday.

Gerald Poindexter received 1,657 votes to 1,173 votes for write-in challenger Ed Vaughn, country registrar Lucille Epps told the Associated Press. Poindexter received some criticism for his handling of the Vick case before federal officials launched their own investigation of a dogfighting operation at a property in southeastern Virginia owned by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. Vick and three co-defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to dogfighting, and Vick is awaiting sentencing on Dec. 10.

Vick was suspended indefinitely by the NFL after entering his guilty plea, and Poindexter later brought state charges against Vick and his co-defendants. A trial date has not been set. Vick's attorneys have said they believe that the state charges might violate Vick's rights by charging him twice for the same conduct.

Sheriff Harold Brown also was reelected Tuesday. . . .

Jonathan Babineaux expressed relief yesterday after he was cleared of a felony animal cruelty charge that could have sent the Falcons defensive tackle to prison.

"I'm just happy the whole situation is over with," Babineaux said. "It's been a long process. I've been waiting it out and it's finally over."

Gwinnett County (Ga.) District Attorney Danny Porter said he dismissed the charges following an inquiry of the death of a pit bull in February.

Pat McDonough, Babineaux's attorney, said it proved Babineaux acted only in self-defense against the aggressive dog that belonged to the player's girlfriend. McDonough said Babineaux was protecting himself and his 5-month-old child.

The Philadelphia Eagles placed starting safety Sean Considine on the injured reserve list, ending his season because of a shoulder injury. Considine was hurt during Sunday night's loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Eagles, who face the Washington Redskins on Sunday at FedEx Field, plan to use Quintin Mikell to replace Considine as the starter at the safety spot alongside Brian Dawkins. Mikell has started five games this season in place of Dawkins when Dawkins was hurt. . . .

Vinny Testaverde and rookie Matt Moore split the practice-field work at quarterback for the Carolina Panthers yesterday with David Carr sidelined by a concussion. It's unclear which quarterback will start for the Panthers on Sunday against the Falcons or if Carr will be cleared to return. . . .

The playing status of Kansas City Chiefs tailback Larry Johnson beyond this week remains unclear. A Denver television station reported that Johnson will miss the rest of the season because of a broken bone in his right foot. KDVR-TV reported that Johnson is seeking a second opinion. The Chiefs have said only that Johnson suffered a mid-foot injury and it's unclear how long he'll be sidelined. Coach Herman Edwards said it's highly unlikely that Johnson will play this weekend.

Steven Jackson is ready to give the St. Louis Rams' offense another lift. They're hopeful this energy burst lasts longer than one quarter.

Jackson returned to full duty in practice yesterday after recovering from a bulging disk that knocked him out of the Rams' last game before their bye week. Jackson had led the winless Rams to an early 14-0 lead against the Browns before his back locked up.

Jackson, who led the NFL with 2,334 total yards last season, also missed four games with a partially torn groin muscle. The Browns game was his first since the injury.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.