A man accused of aggravated battery and leaving the scene of a crash in Cortez faces a second trial in May.
David Nichols, 59, of Bradenton was arrested in November 2019.
Prosecutors say Nichols hit and dragged 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,” sustained severe injuries, resulting in amputation of his right arm, and including damage to his spleen, a lacerated liver, rib fractures, a collapsed lung and facial lacerations.
Jurors for a Dec. 12, 2022, trial of Nichols were deadlocked, resulting in a mistrial on both counts.
When a jury cannot agree on a verdict on one or more counts, the judge can declare a mistrial, triggering a retrial.
Manatee County Clerk’s Office records March 8 indicated that Nichols’ attorney, Colleen M. Glenn, was withdrawing due to the defendant’s financial inability to pay her.
Glenn was retained in March 2020 to represent Nichols but the retainer did not include the retrial.
On March 17, a motion allowing Glenn to withdraw from the case and appointing Nichols a public defender was granted by Judge Fredrick P. Mercurio.
Nichols, since Oct. 25, 2022, has been in custody at the Manatee County jail after being denied reinstatement of $150,000 bond stemming from an Oct. 14, 2022, citation for allegedly driving with a suspended license. The citation was a violation of the conditions of his pretrial release.
If convicted, Nichols faces a mandatory prison sentence with a maximum penalty of 15 years.
Nichol’s case was set for trial at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.
