Bradenton, Florida

From the Sarasota Herald Tribune of September 25, 2007

Freed in murder case, man faces new charges

Ronald Oats Jr. will not face a murder rap, but he is not off the hook yet.

Prosecutors dropped a murder charge against the 20-year-old man on Monday morning, but Oats was arrested minutes later in court on gun and drug charges.

Assistant State Attorney Brian Iten decided that Oats acted in self-defense when he shot a man during a drug deal turned sour.

In June, a man invited Oats and his friend to a home on 51st Avenue to sell a large amount of marijuana, Iten said. During a scuffle, someone tried to rob Oats and he grabbed a pistol and killed Jeremiah Matteson, 28, according to a State Attorney's Office report.

"It was exactly a case of self-defense," said Mark Lipinski, Oats' attorney.

After filing a motion to drop the murder count, Iten quickly had Oats arrested on gun and marijuana charges.

Bailiffs arrested him in the courtroom, and a judge ordered Oats to be released on his own recognizance because prosecutors did not have enough evidence to prove he was a flight risk. A trial date has not been set.