From the moment of his arrest through his trial and sentencing, Woodrow Hicks Jr. has been fighting legal battles, each time falling short.
Today in Indiana County Court, Judge William Martin will conduct a hearing on Hicks’ petition for post conviction collateral relief. Under Pennsylvania law, a convicted criminal can file such a petition for a variety of reasons, including violations of constitutional rights, ineffective counsel, denial of the right of appeal, new evidence, or an unlawful sentence.
Hicks, who is now 48, was convicted of unlawful contact with a minor, attempted statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors, criminal use of a communication facility, simple assault, and fleeing police for a November 2012 arrest after he arranged to meet a 15-year-old girl for sex in the parking lot at Southtowne Plaza in White Township. When he arrived for the rendezvous, he was met by state police, from whom he fled and was captured.
After a long trial process, he was sentenced to 16 months to five years in state prison plus five years probation. The state Supreme Court turned declined to hear his appeal. He’s been incarcerated at SCI Somerset but transferred to SCI Pine Grove for his hearing today, which is scheduled for 8:30 AM.
