A 2019 case against Bradenton resident David Nichols will take more time to reach a verdict as Nichols finds himself approaching trial without legal representation.
Nichols, 59, was arrested in November 2019 for alleged aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a crash in Cortez.
He is accused of hitting and dragging Fred Gilliland of Cortez underneath his vehicle for nearly a block in the area of 101st Street West.
Gilliland, known in Cortez as “Fat Freddy,” had his right arm amputated as a result of the injuries and also sustained injuries to his spleen, a lacerated liver, rib fractures, a collapsed lung and facial lacerations.
If convicted, Nichols faces a mandatory prison sentence with a maximum penalty of 15 years.
Nichols went to trial in late 2022 but the jury deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial.
Now Manatee County Clerk’s Office records, updated March 8, indicate that Nichols’ attorney, Colleen M. Glenn, is withdrawing due to the defendant’s financial inability to pay the fees.
Glenn was retained to represent Nichols March 12, 2020, but the retainer does not include a retrial or an appeal.
As of March 10, the 12th Judicial Circuit Court still showed Nichols’ case going to trial at the judicial center in Bradenton March 16 but, without a defense lawyer, the trial will likely be delayed.
“Nichols could proceed without an attorney, also known as pro se, but that is rare in a felony case,” public information officer Jennifer Linzy of the Manatee County Clerk’s Office wrote in a March 10 email to The Islander.
Nichols remained in custody at the Manatee County jail as of March 10 after being denied reinstatement of a $150,000 bond stemming from an Oct. 14, 2022, citation for allegedly driving with a suspended license — a violation of the conditions of his pretrial release.