LAKELAND -- One of eight teens charged with beating a 16-year-old cheerleader in Polk County got some high-profile help April 11 from talk show host Dr. Phil.
On Saturday, April 12, a bail bondsman said Dr. Phil McGraw paid the bond for Mercades Nichols, the alleged ringleader of the attack.
When Nichols left the jail the day before, a man claiming to be Dr. Phil's producer helped get Nichols and her mother out of the jail.
The producer apparently told other reporters to leave, because the "Dr. Phil" show had exclusive rights to Nichols' story.
Most of the other suspects in the case also bonded out that night. See previous story.
The judge has issued a gag order in the case, barring the teens from speaking publicly.
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