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Teen on house arrest for beating homeless man skips out and heads to the beach

A 16-year-old Lakeland boy serving two years of house arrest for the fatal beating of a homeless man is accused of violating the terms of his punishment by taking a trip to the beach.

Now Cody Lee Osborne is back in jail -- at least until a hearing on the house arrest violation case set for March 31.

Osborne was originally charged with second-degree murder.

He and two others were arrested in the beating death of Joseph Ruba, 52, during an April 17 fight outside a Lakeland restaurant.

In exchange for house arrest and four years of probation, Osborne pleaded no contest in January to manslaughter.

His probation officer filed an affidavit earlier this month that Osborne took an unauthorized trip to a Clearwater beach on Feb. 27. The officer also wrote that Osborne has not completed any of his court-ordered 100 hours of community service.

Read The Ledger report here. And see previous posts here, here, here and here.

Full post as published by the 13th juror on March 24, 2011 (boomark / email).