FL- Skynyrd drummer testifies in his defense in sex offender case

See earlier report: There are two ways to view this case: 1) He's guilty, guilty, guilty; -OR- 2) The law is an ass, simply because life presents circumstances for which lawmakers are not capable of foreseeing and refuse to make allowances for within the law. Life changes as one gets older, a person's ability to reason changes too, here this man has a firm to handle finances because he recognizes life is changing him. He complies with the spirit of the law, but will likely be found guilty because of the way the law is worded (fault of lawmakers).

8-28-2009 Florida:

Pyle is charged with two counts of failing to register as an offender.

ST. AUGUSTINE - Former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle told a jury Thursday he never meant to violate Florida's sex offender registry law and the charges against him resulted from a "convoluted" series of mixups.

"I was just trying to get my [driver's] license," Pyle testified. "I'm a long-haired, hippie freak ... but when somebody in authority tells me something, I try to listen and comply."

He told jurors: "I'm more nervous now than when we opened up for the Stones."

Pyle, 61, is charged with two counts of failing to register as a sex offender and one count of giving false information on a driver's license application. All are third-degree felonies carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence.

He pleaded guilty in 1993 to two counts of lewd and lascivious assault in Jacksonville Beach.

Prosecutors contend Pyle moved back to Florida in 2007 and didn't register within 48 hours as required by law. They note he gave his old Crescent Beach address when applying to reinstate his driver's license.

But Pyle, who has a home in North Carolina and is living with a friend in Virginia, said he doesn't live in Florida and hasn't in years.

He said he drove to Florida to reinstate his license after receiving a letter from the Department of Revenue. He said the department canceled it after mistakenly thinking he had stopped paying child support. In fact, he testified, his youngest child had turned 18.

Pyle said he used the Crescent Beach address because he planned to use his new Florida license to obtain a license in North Carolina. The old address had been on there for years, and he said he just decided to "let it ride."

"I was wrong," he said. He said he later gave police the Nocatee address of a friend so that police would be able to find him when he stayed there during visits to Florida.

Earlier Thursday, Pyle's lawyers presented three witnesses who testified he is so disorganized and unfocused that people in his life have to help him with details.

Among them was Michael Latimer, a Miami accountant who runs a trust that pays all of Pyle's bills and collects royalties and other income. Latimer testified the trust has total and irrevocable control over Pyle's finances, and he would know if Pyle purchased, rented or maintained property in Florida.

Circuit Judge Wendy Berger said she expects the case to wrap up after closing arguments this morning. ..Source.. by Paul Pinkham