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Teen In Polk Video Beating Gets Probation, Community Service

News Channel 8 photo by ERIC HAUSMANN

Mercades Nichols was sentenced to three years of probation today after pleading guilty in the March 2008 attack.

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By CHIP OSOWSKI | News Channel 8

Published: March 6, 2009

Updated: 03/06/2009 09:39 am

BARTOW - One of five teenage girls charged in the beating of another teen was sentenced today to three years of probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery.

Circuit Judge Keith Spoto also sentenced Mercades Nichols to 100 hours of community service and ordered that she pay restitution to victim Victoria Lindsay.

Nichols pleaded guilty in January in connection with the attack on Lindsay, which happened in March 2008 at her grandmother's home.

Spoto said Nichols must write Lindsay a letter of apology. Spoto also said Nichols must remain in school or be employed full time, have no contact with Lindsay or her family and have no contact with the media for profit. She must also go undergo an anger-management evaluation and receive treatment if necessary.

Nichols left the courtroom without making any comment.

Detectives say the teens planned to post a video of the attack online. Five girls and two boys were charged in the case; charges against the boys were dropped.

In exchange for Nichols' guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to drop charges of felony kidnapping and witness tampering, which carried maximum sentences of life in prison and five years in prison, respectively.

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