RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia man who weighs more than 900 pounds (410 kilograms) has pleaded guilty in a cocaine conspiracy case during a hearing held in a courthouse loading zone as he lay on a stretcher inside an ambulance.
Magistrate Judge David Novak said the court engaged in “some extraordinary procedures” Tuesday to deal with Kenneth Hicks’ health issues and to “protect his dignity.”
The 48-year-old Hicks stayed inside the ambulance and wasn’t visible to several of his family members and reporters who attended the hearing. He was visible to Novak and a prosecutor who sat at a table near the back of the ambulance.
The hearing was postponed last week when Hicks was brought to a hospital for an unspecified health issue after he was taken from his home.
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