Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer Blog
Two men were arrested in St. Augustine, Florida in connection with Aggravated Battery and Resisting an Officer without Violence charges. According to Jacksonville News (Firstcoastnews.com), Robert Tony Hicks went to a transient camp near State Road 207 in St. Johns County, near St. Augustine, Florida. He was confronting an unidentified man over a woman that stayed at the camp. Hicks was accompanied by another man, Peter Joseph Grattan. A fight ensued between the men. That is when Hicks stabbed the unidentified St. Johns County man. The man had non-life-threatening injuries, but he was still taken to a local Florida Hospital for treatment.
St. Johns County police officers tracked Hicks and Grattan to a home in St. Augustine, Florida. During the arrest,
“Hicks reportedly struck a K-9 officer in the head as he was being taken into custody, but was subsequently secured with no further incident… Hicks is charged with aggravated battery, resisting an officer without violence and striking a police service animal. His bond is $53,000. Grattan is charged with principal to aggravated battery and resisting an officer without violence. He is being held on $26,500 bond.”
Both men are in jail at the St. Johns County Detention Center. They will be facing charges for Florida Aggravated Battery and Resisting an Officer without Violence, among other possible Florida criminal charges. The St. Augustine Assistant State Attorney will review the file and make a charging decision. Then, the criminal defendants will appear in court for their arraignment, which is when the criminal defendants receive the formal charging document and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty. Usually, a Florida criminal defendant will enter a plea of not guilty in order to investigate the case further. It is unusual for a criminal defendant to enter a guilty plea at arraignment, unless a plea deal has been reached before that date.
For questions about arraignment, contact a Jacksonville Criminal Defense Lawyer to discuss your case and to make sure your rights will be protected during your Arraignment and throughout your entire Jacksonville Criminal Case.