Bradenton resident David Nichols, 59, facing a trial for aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a 2019 crash in Cortez is back in jail, denied reinstatement of bond after being cited for driving with a suspended license.
Nichols was stopped while driving in the 6000 block of 15th Street East and charged Oct. 14 by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office with driving with a suspended license. The alleged offense is a violation of his pretrial release.
Court records show cancellation for a $150,000 bond that had been issued Jan. 31, 2020.
Bond was denied during a Nov. 15 hearing and Nichols is in the Manatee County jail.
According to Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Courts public information officer Jennifer Linzy, Nichols will remain in custody until his mid-December trial for aggravated battery.
Nichols is accused of hitting and dragging Fred Gilliland of Cortez underneath his vehicle for nearly a block in the area of 101st Street West near Cortez in November 2019.
Gilliland, known in Cortez as “Fat Freddy,” sustained injuries to his spleen, a lacerated liver, rib fractures, a collapsed lung and facial lacerations. Also, his right arm was amputated as a result of the incident.
If convicted, Nichols faces a mandatory prison sentence with a maximum penalty of 15 years.
The trial is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 12, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
— Robert Anderson