"Dr. Phil" Employees Bail Out Teen Beating Suspect
Sunday, April 13, 2008 – updated: 11:58 am EDT April 14, 2008
BARTOW, Fla. -- All eight teens accused of participating in the videotaped beating of a classmate had bonded out of jail by Monday, authorities said, including a 17-year-old who was assisted with bond by employees of the "Dr. Phil" television show.
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Brittany Mayes, 17, was released on $33,000 bond, said Polk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilder. Stephen Schumaker, 18, bonded out sometime Sunday night.The teens, the youngest of whom is 14, face kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges for the violent beating, which has been viewed widely on national television and the Internet. The state attorney's office has said the six girls and two boys will be tried as adults.One of the accused, Mercades Nichols, 17, was bailed out by employees of the "Dr. Phil" television show over the weekend.Phone listings for the families of Mayes, Schumaker and Nichols could not be found Sunday. The company that bonded out Mayes, Bridgett Bail Bonds, declined to comment.A spokeswoman for host Phil McGraw, Terri Corigliano, did not respond to phone messages and an e-mail sent by The Associated Press on Sunday. In an e-mail Saturday night, Corigliano wrote that "certain staff members went beyond our guidelines" in paying the bond."These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated," she wrote. "In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised."The show's producers were in the process of booking guests for a program about the case, Corigliano said.
Brittany Mayes, 17, was released on $33,000 bond, said Polk County Sheriff's Office spokesman Scott Wilder. Stephen Schumaker, 18, bonded out sometime Sunday night.The teens, the youngest of whom is 14, face kidnapping and misdemeanor battery charges for the violent beating, which has been viewed widely on national television and the Internet. The state attorney's office has said the six girls and two boys will be tried as adults.One of the accused, Mercades Nichols, 17, was bailed out by employees of the "Dr. Phil" television show over the weekend.Phone listings for the families of Mayes, Schumaker and Nichols could not be found Sunday. The company that bonded out Mayes, Bridgett Bail Bonds, declined to comment.A spokeswoman for host Phil McGraw, Terri Corigliano, did not respond to phone messages and an e-mail sent by The Associated Press on Sunday. In an e-mail Saturday night, Corigliano wrote that "certain staff members went beyond our guidelines" in paying the bond."These staff members have been spoken to and our policies reiterated," she wrote. "In addition, we have decided not to go forward with the story as our guidelines have been compromised."The show's producers were in the process of booking guests for a program about the case, Corigliano said.
Previous Stories:
- April 14, 2008: Talk Show Host Helps Teen Beating Suspect With Bond
- April 12, 2008: Six Teen Suspects In Videotaped Beating Out of Jail
- April 11, 2008: Teens Accused Of Polk County Videotaped Beating Charged As Adults
- April 10, 2008: Girls Charged In Brutal Videotaped Beating To Be Tried As Adults
- April 10, 2008: Callers Harass Wrong Family In Videotaped Teen Beating Case
- April 9, 2008: Judge Issues Gag Order In Videotaped Beating Of Teen Girl
- April 8, 2008: Girls Record Brutal Attack On Teen To Allegedly Post On YouTube
Copyright 2008 by WFTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.















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