Trial Delayed In 'Walker' Beating Case

The trial of the two remaining suspects in the beating of a man popularly known as "The Walker" has been pushed back to August.

Jamie Tyson, 18, and Michael Vann, 24, were scheduled for trial Monday on charges including attempted first-degree murder.

Court records show their attorneys requested a three-month continuance on Wednesday. Prosecutor Don Barbee said they needed more time, but the Orlando-based attorneys could not be reached Friday to clarify.

The victim in the case, John Kelly, spent five weeks in the intensive care unit after he was severely beaten the night of Sept. 19.

Investigators say Vann's weapon was a piece of metal rebar and that Tyson used wooden sticks.

Kelly is a well-known fixture on Hernando County's roads and is popularly called "The Walker" by motorists. He was attacked in a deep ditch outside the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative office on Cortez Boulevard.

The teenager who allegedly served as lookout, Anthony Hawkins, 18, pleaded guilty in December and will be in the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice until his 21st birthday.

New Victim Is

Listed In Rape Case

A new victim has been added to the case of a man accused of starting a four-year sexual relationship with a girl when she was 11.

The extra two counts of sexual battery on a child between the age of 12 and 18 were filed against Harold Scism, 46, during the preparation for his trial on Monday.

Assistant State Attorney Lisa Herndon said in court on Friday that the charges stem from questioning a witness who is now a victim.

Scism's attorney's request that the trial be delayed another month to prepare a defense to the new charges was granted by Circuit Judge Stephen Rushing.

The victim told detectives last year that the two engaged in sexual activity usually three to four times a week, a report shows. Scism reportedly expressed that he was in love with the child and wanted to marry her.

The suspect was originally charged with 25 counts of sexual battery on a child over the age of 12 by a person in "familial custody." Scism now stands accused of 12 counts of sex-related crimes involving minors.