Suspect Wants to Discuss Beating

BARTOW | Mercades Nichols, one of eight teens charged as adults in the March beating of 16-year-old Victoria Lindsay, wants permission to talk publicly about the case and travel out of state to give interviews, according to a written request filed in Circuit Court.

The motion to modify the terms of Nichols' pretrial release also requests eliminating her house arrest conditions and allowing her to get a job.

Nichols' lawyer, James Holz, said he was advised to file the motion after asking permission from a court employee for Nichols to speak with the media and "issue a possible apology."

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday in Circuit Court before Judge Keith Spoto.

Lindsay had been living with Nichols in Lakeland for about a week March 30 when, the Polk County Sheriff's Office has said, she was attacked by six female schoolmates after arriving home. They filmed the beating and threatened to post the video on MySpace and YouTube. Two male teens stood watch as lookouts outside the home, the Sheriff's Office said.

Polk County Judge Angela J. Cowden charged all eight as adults and set stringent terms for their release before trial.

Nichols, 17, has been charged with kidnaping with intent to bodily harm or terrorize, battery, and tampering with a witness.

The terms of Nichols' release set by Cowden include no contact with Lindsay or her family; staying away from all Mulberry High School functions; no contact with co-defendants or their immediate families; not using MySpace, YouTube or any Internet chat rooms, social networking Web sites or opinion forums; not discussing the incident with anyone except her lawyer; not leaving the house except for specific purposes listed by the court; a curfew of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.; and reporting to the 10th Judicial Circuit's Pretrial Release Services Program three times a week. Holz said in the request for modification that "the evidence against her is limited and does not demonstrate any risk of flight nor a danger to the community or any of its citizens."

Holz stated in the filing that he asked Barbara Snead of Pretrial Release Services for permission for Nichols to speak with reporters and "issue a possible apology." He said Snead advised him to file the motion, which requests that the court change Nichols' pretrial release restrictions by:

deleting the house arrest conditions,

deleting restrictions on talking publicly about the case,

allowing her to travel under parental and legal supervision out of state to give interviews relating to the case,

allowing her to get a job.

[ Bill Rufty can be reached at 802-7523 or bill.rufty@theledger.com. ]