Accused child abuser released after prosecutors miss deadline
TAMPA (FOX 13) - Defendant Eddie Tignor sat in court, charged with three counts of aggravated child abuse and child neglect, but the prosecutor said no hearing for him was scheduled.
It was a fast-moving set of requests during court Tuesday. Tignor's public defender immediately asked the judge to release Tignor, and the judge had no choice.
"Consistent with Florida law and in the absence of the information not filed, I will order Mr. Tignor be release," Judge Gregory Holder ordered.
Just like that, Eddie Tignor was a free man and the charges against him disappear.
The charges stemmed from an incident where a child in his care had broken ribs, chipped bones, bite marks, cuts, and bruises, according to detectives.
An arrest report shows Tignor admitted to some of the abuse during a recorded call.
There was no explanation in court on why the state didn't file the charges in time.
Under Florida law, the State Attorney's Office has 21 days to file charges or the defendant is released from jail.
In spite of his release on child abuse charges, this was not the only legal trouble Tignor faced.
Back in April, he was accused of throwing hot grease at a customer at the Wing Stop restaurant.
When the victim, Robert Williams talked to FOX 13 News, he was in the hospital still recovering from his injuries.
"My arm is burned, my thighs are burned, I'm burned everywhere," said Williams.
Tignor still faces charges from that incident.
For now, however, the child abuse charges are gone. Prosecutors still have several months to re-file but the clock is ticking
Late Tuesday, Estella Gray with the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office released a statement saying, "We take seriously the severity of the allegations, and the safety of children is top priority for our office, but at this time there is not sufficient evidence to charge Mr. Tignor with a crime. We will continue to diligently work with law enforcement on this investigation to seek justice for the victim."