COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - An Ohio defendant who vowed he was penniless and couldn’t pay a fine now faces a big one after deputies escorting him from court found he had over $4,000 in his clothes.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that 36-year-old Lawrence Knox swore he was indigent during an Oct. 5 hearing after pleading guilty to a drug charge in Franklin County court. Deputies taking him to be processed for his six-year prison sentence then found he had $4,060 on him.
When the judge learned that, he gave Knox the maximum fine of $20,000, plus court costs.
About half the discovered cash was ordered to go to Knox’s attorney, Michael Hayes, who’d been shorted on his fees. The rest was applied toward the fine.
Hayes declined to comment about the matter Tuesday.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, https://www.dispatch.com
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