JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A St. Johns County convict transferred to the Duval County jail to face burglary and weapons charges was overlooked in the system for more than a year an appeals court ruled the charges should be dropped because the state violated his right to a speedy trial.
Richard Scott Hill pleaded no contest in 2011 to a series of burglaries in St. Johns County and was sentenced to five years in prison. He was then transferred to Duval County, where he sat in jail for a year without being assigned a lawyer or having any hearing in his case to to an unexplained series of miscommunications.
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After a year, Hill filed his own petition with the First District Court of Appeals, which agreed with his claim that his rights were violated and dismissed the Duval County charges.
Hill goes before a judge next week to find out if the the state will appeal the appeals' court order. He remains in custody as still will have to serve the remaining St. Johns County sentence.