63° CLEAR, Plea Deals Offered in Video Beating Case
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at 10:48 p.m.
BARTOW | Prosecutors have offered plea deals to four of the five teenage girls charged with the videotaped beating of a former Mulberry High School cheerleader, excluding Mercades Nichols.
- Videotaped Beatings
- Video: Sheriff Discusses the Beating
- Video: Beaten Teen's Parents Speak Out
- Video: Beating Suspects - First Appearance
- Audio: 911 Call from Video Taped Beating Case
- Affidavits - Teenagers Charged as Adults
- Affidavits - Teenagers Charged as Juveniles
- Gag Order Documents
- Photo Gallery: Beating Case Court Appearances
- Victoria Lindsay's Statement
- Witness' Statement
- Suspects' and Victim's Statement
- Videotaped Teen Beating Draws National Attention
- Near-Fight Preceded Video Beating
- Hearings Set in Teen Beating Case
- High Bail Set For Beating Case Suspect
- Notice Filed to Sue Judd Over Inquiry Remarks
- House Arrest Lifted for Beating-Case Teen
- Teens' Interviews Shed More Light on Beating Case
- Judge Grants Beating-Case Teen More Freedom as She Awaits Trial
- Defendant Names Aggressors in Videotaped Beating
- 3 Cleared In Beating Incident
- Charges Dropped Against Three in Teen Beating
- Suspect in Beating Must Keep Mum on Case
- Teen Beating Suspect Can Get Job, But Can't Talk
- Suspect Wants to Discuss Beating
- New Video Documents More of Beating
During brief hearings Tuesday, Assistant State Attorney Vincent Patrucco didn’t reveal what the terms of the potential plea deals might be.
But the prosecutor indicted plea negotiations could help resolve some if not all of the criminal cases.
“We are working toward resolutions if possible,” Patrucco told Circuit Judge Keith Spoto.
None of the girls have accepted the deals yet, but their lawyers are speaking to them about the offers, Patrucco said.
Victoria Lindsay, 17, was beaten March 30 at a house in Highland City and her attack was videotaped.
Originally, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office accused eight teenagers of participating in Lindsay’s beating and threatening to post videos of it on YouTube and MySpace.
In June, charges were dropped against three co-defendants because of insufficient evidence.
No trial dates have been scheduled against the remaining defendants.
Status hearings for all but one of the girls were scheduled for Jan. 20.
David Carmichael, who represents 16-year-old Kayla Hassall, requested that his client have a status hearing on Dec. 5.
Mercades Nichols, 17, Brittini Hardcastle, 18, April Cooper, 15, Brittany Mayes, 17, and Hassall are each charged with kidnapping and battery.
The kidnapping charges are first-degree felonies that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The battery charges are first-degree misdemeanors that carry a maximum sentence of a year in jail.
Nichols, Hardcastle and Mayes also face third-degree felony charges of tampering with a witness, which carry a maximum of five years in prison.
Nichols also faces some unrelated charges involving allegations that she stalked and harmed her ex-boyfriend. The incidents are alleged to have taken place preceding the March 30 beating of Lindsay.
The charges include aggravated stalking, two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and three counts of misdemeanor battery.
[ Jason Geary can be reached at jason.geary@theledger.com or 863-802-7536. ]
Events Calendar More Events Submit Event
- Polk Deputy Charged With Misusing Agency Computer
- U.S. Stimulus May Relieve Florida Pain
- Officials In School District Investigation Resign
- Polk Schools To Pay $25,000 in Legal Dispute
- Holley Gets Restrictions Eased
- Video of Murder Suspect Released
- That UF Cheerleader May Look a Little Familiar to You
- Comic Ron White Guilty in Drug Case
- Teen Struck by Truck On Way to School
- Auburndale Crime Report
- Tread Lightly 2 min ago
- Honoring MLK Jr. 4 min ago
- Prosecutors Release Second Tape in Nowak Case 5 min ago
- Newsbytes 11 min ago
- Coming Video Games 11 min ago
- Nowak Meets Fake Hit Man 15 min ago
- A Glut of Games Will Keep You Occupied 16 min ago
- Video and Transcript: Randy Nowak Meets Fake Hit Man 17 min ago
- New For Teens 18 min ago
- ‘The Reader' 19 min ago
Comments
Only moderator-approved comments are shown on this page. To see all comments, please visit the forum.Post a comment | View all comments on this topic.
November 18, 2008 8:17:57 am
RE: Link
Time for a Slap on the wrist, but at least they don't have felonies to follow them for the rest of their lives
November 18, 2008 9:00:40 am
As expected. Time will tell for Hardcastle. She will probably do some time, but not enough.
November 18, 2008 10:16:20 am
I'm a little suprised by the comments...then again maybe i shouldn't be
If these girls were anything other than anglo, i'd but your bottom dollar the tone would be a bit different...I'll hold my comments until the detail of the plea deal is made public.
November 18, 2008 11:22:06 am
I believe your right, if these girls were anything but white, their would be no deals....and why should they be offering deals on a case where the evidence is so OVERWHELMING, for pete's sake they got video, they try cases around here with alot less evidence. Maybe next time they will actually kill someone so we all can say that we told you so....gimme a break.....career felons in the making.
November 18, 2008 11:35:41 am
Dang yall Imperial Polk County critters...did you not notice the max for a first degree felony is Life?? How do you know it is a slap on the wrist offer?? In case you missed it here it is (below).....
Mercades Nichols, 17, Brittini Hardcastle, 18, April Cooper, 15, Brittany Mayes, 17, and Hassall are each charged with kidnapping and battery.
The kidnapping charges are first-degree felonies that carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
November 18, 2008 11:38:54 am
Oh, so now they're going for plea deals about it. To be honest, this should've been done many, many months ago. I certainly bet that they were delaying this trial all along just to get information & to try to defame Victoria by using her personal lifestyle, & then going for the plea bargain. Itâ??s crazy why they would do such a thing! Makes me so sick.
Plus letâ??s keep in mind what the real danger is. If they get away with doing what they did, including the taping, we are sending the message that this is acceptable behavior. You can become an internet star by beating up a victim on tape, and if the victim brings charges, you simply get a sleazebag lawyer to reveal that the victim is imperfect, and you will be free to enjoy your fame and possibly appear on the Dr. Phil show. I wonder if all those decent people out there will ever reach a breaking point and fight back.
November 18, 2008 11:55:14 am
Are you saying they are being offered plea deals because of the color of their skin or was there something another member here posted that got under yours?
Post a comment | View all comments