The 14-year-old was in Butler County Juvenile Court this morning where she formally waived her right to a probable cause hearing.
Last week, the girl’s defense attorney Matthew Fritsch filed a motion stating it was in his client’s best interest to waive the hearing.
In such a hearing, the same as a preliminary hearing in adult court, evidence would be presented to the judge who would then determine if there was probable cause to support the charge.
There was no evidence presented during today’s short hearing, but Judge Kathleen Romans did question the teen to determine if she understood the rights she was waiving.
After the questioning, Romans accepted the waiver and ordered an evaluation of the teen by a doctor at the forensics center.
A hearing to determine, based partly on the psychological evaluation, if the girl’s case will be sent to adult court or stay in juvenile court has been set for June 5.
Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser has filed a motion requesting the teen's case be moved to adult court.
Under Ohio law, a 14-year-old is not automatically tried as an adult when charged with serious crimes. It is considered discretionary and will be determined by the court.
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