JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville man suspected of plowing his van through a Republican voter drive lacked an attorney when he appeared in court Monday morning for his arraignment hearing.
Gregory Timm, 27, told the court he has been unable to hire an attorney yet because he does not have money to make a phone call from jail, but he said he plans to get one as soon as possible.
“Here is my concern, Mr. Timm. We need to get you a lawyer because I don’t want you sitting in the Duval County jail without counsel,” Circuit Judge Meredith Charbula told the defendant.
The judge assigned a public defender to temporarily represent Timm, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of aggravated assault on a victim over the age of 65 and one count of criminal mischief. He faces 19 months up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Timm’s charges stem from an incident that unfolded Feb. 8 at a strip mall near Atlantic and Kernan boulevards. Witnesses identified Timm as the driver of a van that drove into their tent, frightening volunteers and upending furniture before driving off, according to a copy of his arrest report.
Timm, who admitted his distaste for President Donald Trump played a role in his actions, acknowledged steering the vehicle into the tent because he felt that “someone had to take a stand,” the report said.
Since then, the 27-year-old has told News4Jax that he is thankful that no one was injured in the incident, saying it wasn’t his goal to hurt anyone.
Timm is scheduled to appear in court for a pretrial hearing on March 18.