Amy L. Edwards |  Sentinel Staff Writer
11:18 AM EDT, July 22, 2008

The mother of one of the suspects in the high-profile Lakeland teen beating case plans to sue the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, along with her daughter, for statements agency officials have said about them.

An attorney for Christina Garcia and Mercades Nichols, 17, recently sent a letter to the Sheriff’s Office stating their intent to sue.

Nichols is one of five teens accused of pummeling Victoria “Tori” Lindsay on March 30. The attack was reportedly videotaped for YouTube. She faces charges of kidnapping, battery and tampering a witness.

The letter claims Garcia has “sustained damages to her professional reputation as a result of numerous comments and improper characterizations made by the Sheriff.”

It is unclear what Garcia does for a living. A telephone message left with her attorney Tuesday morning has not been returned.

The letter, from Lakeland attorney Michele M. Bernard, states Sheriff Grady Judd “has also uttered untrue facts about the nature of my client and her status as a parent towards her minor child, Mercades Nichols, with reckless disregard for the truth.”

Garcia and Nichols said they have suffered “severe emotional distress” and “mental anguish.”

They are seeking compensation for their mental pain and suffering, and damage to their reputation in the community, “which will impair their ability to seek employment.”

Judd was out of the office Tuesday morning attending a funeral and unavailable to make an immediate comment.

But agency Chief Gary Hester said, “I believe that the claim is without merit. They’ve got very serious criminal charges against them. It would be best for them to spend their time dealing with the criminal case and not trying to file frivolous lawsuits against the Sheriff.”

Source: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-bk-cheerleader-beating-072208,0,2505503.story