One of two men arrested in an island assault won’t fight the case against him.
Court-appointed attorney Lisa Janes pleaded nolo contendere Nov. 9 on behalf of Sarasota resident Cameron Evans, 19, to a second-degree felony charge for aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm.
Nolo contendere, or no contest, indicates a defendant agrees to accept punishment despite not accepting or denying responsibility for the act leading to a criminal charge. Court action on the plea is pending.
The plea is a reversal for Evans, who pleaded not guilty to the charge in April and reiterated the plea in October.
The charge stems from a March 23 beating outside Anna Maria Elementary, 4700 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach, that sent islander Evan Purcell, 41, to the hospital with serious injuries.
Purcell was walking his dog with his 10-year-old niece when he saw a group of young adults and teenagers possibly vandalizing the facility, according to a Holmes Beach Police Department report.
When Purcell asked the group to leave school grounds, they became aggressive and confronted him. He drew a pocketknife and the group beat him to the point of unconsciousness, police said.
Purcell’s niece ran to a nearby residence and called 911 during the assault.
Holmes Beach police and then emergency medical services found and treated Purcell and transported him to the HCA Florida Blake Hospital in Bradenton.
The HBPD identified Evans, Palmetto resident John Bartholow, 17, and an unnamed juvenile as suspects connected to the incident using video footage from the scene and witness testimony.
All three were arrested within a month.
The unnamed juvenile was returned to their family while Bartholow and Evans were placed in custody at the Manatee County jail under $50,000 bonds and charged with second-degree felonies.
Evans has been in jail since April 14 and the court denied multiple motions to reduce his bond.
A hearing to discuss Evans’ sentence will be at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1041 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
Bartholow posted his $50,000 bond April 21 and was released into the Manatee County Probation Department’s pretrial services program.
However, Bartholow was arrested for contempt of court in September for violating the program by resisting/obstructing a law enforcement officer without violence.
Bartholow has remained in jail under a new $50,000 bond since Sept. 21 and Judge Stephen Whyte of the 12th Judicial District Court Nov. 12 denied a motion to reduce the bond amount.
A case management hearing for Bartholow’s case will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the Manatee County Judicial Center.
Clough and Bartholow’s Bradenton-based attorney, Jon Weiffenbach, has not responded to The Islander’s inquiries about the case.