WATCH: Defendant taken to hospital after becoming ill in court
“He is out of the hospital and back to work,” defense attorney Frank Schiavone IV said Friday.
Ritchie was incoherent when he was taken into the hallway and eventually transported to hospital, according to Schiavone IV.
Ritchie remains free on his own recognizance and has checked in with pre-trial services, the attorney said.
Schiavone IV said he anticipates Ritchie will be ready for his new trial in August, but he could not elaborate on what exactly happened to him on Tuesday.
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After Ritchie was taken away, defense attorneys and Assistant Warren Court Prosecutor Steven Knippen both requested a mistrial. Judge Robert Peeler then declared a mistrial.
Ritchie is charged with felony child endangering and involuntary manslaughter for allegedly not checking on his son for 15 hours after learning the child had been burned severely by his wife, Anna Ritchie.
Anna Ritchie is serving a 18 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to murder for the boy’s death on March 15.
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In December, a mistrial was declared in Ritchie’s first trial after a jury could not reach a verdict.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell said while declaring a mistrial is “frustrating for everyone” anytime anything that dramatic happens in the courtroom there is always a likelihood of an issue on appeal.
It is not known how Ritchie’s illness could have influenced the jury — perhaps by creating sympathy or by some believing it was an act, Fornshell said. Either way, he said it is better to choose a new jury.
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