FOX-35
- A Florida attorney who once represented George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case has been arrested.
- Hal Uhrig was arrested Monday on charges of witness tampering in a juvenile rape case.
- Uhrig denied the allegations to FOX-35, saying, "I'm not guilty of this."
A Florida defense attorney who once represented George Zimmerman in the fatal 2012 shooting case of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin has been arrested and accused of witness tampering in a juvenile rape case.
Hal Uhrig, who works for The Defense Group in Maitland, Florida, was arrested on charges of solicitation to commit perjury and tampering with or harassing a witness, victim, or informant, authorities said Monday.
Uhrig was taken into custody Monday morning while he was on his way to court.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López said during a press conference that Uhrig represents a man accused of raping a girl when she was 9-years-old and had arranged a meeting with his client, the victim and her dad, the Associated Press reported.
"The point of the meeting was to keep the rapist from going to jail," López said.
López added" "The attorney instructed the victim and her father that they should do three things. Write a declination, basically a letter, to the state attorney saying the rape didn't happen; avoid being served with a subpoena so you don't have to go to court to testify; [and] lie during your deposition and say the rape didn't happen."
Back in July, the victim's family notified the state attorney's office of the meeting, prompting an investigation by the sheriff's sex crimes unit.
The father of the victim, who is now a teenager, again met with Uhrig on a separate occasion and wore a recording device, authorities said.
During that meeting, Uhrig had asked the father to read a script off his computer that appeared to be his client's defense of the rape charge, according to the AP.
Uhrig, who was released from jail Monday night after posting bond, denied the allegations to FOX-35, saying, "I'm not guilty of this."
"We're just going to go back to the boards like we always do. Sort out what happened," Uhrig told the news outlet upon his release.