MIDDLETOWN — A naked defendant, convicted in absentia, won't get a new trial, an appeals court says.

In a unanimous decision, the Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals on Monday said a Butler County judge was justified in ordering that William A. Parrish's 2000 trial continue without him after he disrobed and refused to get dressed again.

A jury convicted Mr. Parrish of a dozen charges stemming from a 1999 stolen-car chase in Hamilton; Common Pleas Judge Patricia Oney sentenced him to 7 years in prison.

At an appeals court hearing in June, the Ohio Public Defender's Office had argued that Mr. Parrish, 34, was improperly denied his constitutional right “to be present at his own trial, to confront witnesses against him and to assist in his own defense.”

The Butler County Prosecutor's Office citing previous Ohio Supreme Court decisions that said a defendant may not “defeat the administration of justice” by his own misbehavior, and courts may act to counter such attempts.

The appellate judges said barring him from the courtroom was “proper” under the circumstances.

E-mail jmorse@enquirer.com

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