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Teenage Batterer Violates Her Probation in Broward County

Last spring, Floridians were shocked when reports that six teenaged girls from Lakeland had savagely beaten their 16-year-old classmate, says Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney William Moore. Eight teenagers were eventually arrested for the beating. Six of those arrested were other girls who went to school with the victim, who was a cheerleader. The attackers were between 14 and 18 years of age. Two boys were also arrested for their role, keeping guard outside of the home where the beating occurred.

Broward criminal lawyer Moore has learned that Mercades Nichols, who is now 18 years old, was arrested for violation of probation. She received three years of probation at her sentencing hearing in March of this year for her role in the beating. Nichols was arrested after allegedly driving her grandmother’s car through a neighbor’s yard, destroying the lawn on June 14. Police said she will be arraigned on July 23 and, in the meantime, will be held in the county jail without bail.

The video the girls took was widely publicized and was posted on YouTube. The victim sustained a concussion during the attack, in addition to significant bruising and injuries to an eye and ear. At one point, the victim became unconscious. During the beating, the girls encourage one another and even expressed concern over the possibility of damaging furniture as they hit the girl. In the video, she appears to try to protect herself, insisting that she does not want to fight, and does not retaliate against her attackers.

The victim told law enforcement officials that her attackers indicated their intent to post the video on that site and on MySpace. Their desire to put up the video was apparently one of the main motivating factors in the battery. The clip does not show the entire incident including the beginning, when a girl rammed the victim’s head repeatedly into a wall. The video they recorded is below, but beware that it contains violent images:

Broward criminal lawyer William Moore has years of experience in criminal defense, including sex crimes and DUI. A felony or misdemeanor conviction of any type can have far-reaching consequences on your freedom, your employment, and your personal life. If you have been arrested in south Florida, contact William Moore, P.A., with offices in Fort Lauderdale-Dade, Broward, and Fort Lauderdale Counties.

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