Lionel Tate Denies Violating Probation
Lionel Tate, the teen sentenced to life in prison in a 6-year-old girl's death but later freed, did not violate probation because officers illegally searched him after his mother ordered him to leave their home, his lawyer said Wednesday. At a brief hearing, Circuit Judge Joel Lazarus set a trial Oct. 29 on charges that Tate had violated probation on by leaving his apartment earlier this month while under house arrest. He was also charged with carrying a weapon. Richard Rosenbaum, Tate's attorney, told the judge that he would challenge the search after Tate, 17, and a friend were stopped in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, when most people in the region were locked down for Hurricane Frances. Police said the search produced a pocketknife and identification in Tate's name.
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