Mark Sanchez’s trial pushed to April as civil filing alleges drug and alcohol use during Indianapolis brawl
mark sanchez will not face a jury in March after a judge granted a defense continuance; the criminal trial is now set for April 9 even as a civil filing accuses him of using cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and alcohol during the early-October fight in Indianapolis.
Mark Sanchez’s trial moved to April
Online court records show defense lawyers requested the continuance and Judge James Osborn granted the motion, moving the jury trial from its March start date to April 9. The hearing had been scheduled to begin on March 12 with a final pretrial conference set for March 4, and this is the second time the judge has delayed the case after an earlier move from December to March.
Allegations in civil filing name multiple substances and the brawl’s aftermath
A civil filing tied to the case accuses Sanchez of possibly being under the influence of cocaine, fentanyl, marijuana and alcohol at the time of the encounter, a claim that appears in documents filed by the truck driver’s legal team. The criminal case stems from a fight outside an Indianapolis hotel in early October that left Sanchez with multiple near-fatal stab wounds to his upper right torso and led to felony battery and several misdemeanor charges.
How investigators described the alley fight and injuries
Prosecutors say the confrontation began after Sanchez approached 69-year-old truck driver Perry Tole behind the Westin Hotel on West Washington Street just after midnight on Oct. 4, when Tole was collecting cooking oil for a work assignment. Police records say Sanchez smelled of alcohol and was "acting erratically"; officers were called after the two men scuffled, and Tole told police he believed Sanchez was trying to kill him when he stabbed Sanchez two or three times in the chest.
Video from hotel security cameras captured parts of the struggle: Tole being thrown into a dumpster and a pile of wooden pallets, Sanchez approaching Tole on the ground, and the driver saying he later stabbed Sanchez again when Sanchez advanced. Sanchez ran north down the alley after the stabbing and was admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
Legal stakes and related civil claims
Sanchez faces a felony battery charge and multiple misdemeanors, including public intoxication and unauthorized entry of a vehicle; prosecutors have said a conviction on the felony count could carry significant prison time. The truck driver, Perry Tole, has also filed a separate civil lawsuit tied to the same incident and his attorneys say their preliminary investigation led them to allege use of multiple illegal substances leading up to the altercation.
Defense filings have prompted the latest scheduling change; Sanchez’s lawyers previously told a Marion County judge that he was still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the fight. He was in Indianapolis to call the Oct. 5 game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts when the altercation occurred.
He was later let go from his broadcasting role in early November and replaced by former Purdue University quarterback Drew Brees.
The next confirmed court milestone is the jury trial scheduled for April 9 before Judge James Osborn; the case will proceed to that date following the continuance granted by the court.
