IRONTON òòò½ÊÓƵ” A Huntington man charged with stabbing the South Point Elementary school principal last fall rejected a possible 45-year prison sentence Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.
Joshua Lee Collins, 44, of Turner Road, Huntington, was indicted last November on charges of attempted murder, felonious assault, and 11 counts of kidnapping of students and staff at the school. Collins also is charged with breaking and entering, illegal conveyance of a weapon onto school grounds and inducing panic at the school.
If convicted on the charges, he faces a potential prison sentence of 153-and-a-half to 158 years in prison.
He has pleaded not guilty in the case and is in jail after not being able to make a $2 million bond.
Collins is charged with stabbing William Christian, the elementary school principal, last Oct. 24 in South Point. The principal was stabbed several times. He has subsequently returned to school.
Collins went to the school to pick up a relative. After finding another relative has picked up the student, Collins is charged with pulling the knife and stabbing Christian in the neck and torso. The case is set for trial April 14.
In an unrelated case, Sterling Kimbrough, 29, of Detroit, was convicted in a bench trial before Judge Andy Ballard earlier this year of aggravated trafficking in drugs with a major drug offender specification.
He was sentenced to 11 to 16-and-a-half years in prison by Ballard. A bench trial is a trial before a judge and without a jury.
In other cases:
James Gothard II, 46, of County Road 49, Pedro, pleaded guilty in a felony case of aggravated trafficking in drugs and admitted to violating to his community control sanctions (probation) Ballard set final sentencing for April 30. Gothard faces a potential sentence of three years in prison.
Jeremy B. Mosley, 37, of Patrick Street, Coal Grove, admitted to violating terms of his probation and was ordered a four-to-six-month program at the STAR Community Justice Center in Scioto County,
Georgia Maynard, 67, of the 2800 block of Hilton Avenue, òòò½ÊÓƵhland, was released from STAR for health reasons and was ordered to spend six months in the Lawrence County Jail.
Casey J. Boggess, 34, of Ironton, was given a judicial release after serving some six years of a 10-year prison sentence. Boggess was placed on probation for four years and ordered to do 200 hours of community service.
Roy L. Evans, 36, of Township Road 1040, South Point, pleaded not guilty to a charge of compelling prostitution. He was released on a $50,000 recognizance bond while the case is pending. He also was ordered to stay from a victim in the case.
Alena A. Pennington, 53, of Township Road 1027, South Point, pleaded not guilty to aggravated possession of drugs. She was released on a $20,000 recognizance bond while the case is pending and ordered to get counseling.
Judge Christen Finley set a trial for Samuel Conley, 36, of Township Road 102, Ironton, for June 16. He is charged with four counts of rape, two counts of sexual battery, 10 counts of sexual battery and one count of trafficking in a person,
Christopher Lowe, 21, of County Road 52, pleaded not guilty to charges of strangulation and domestic violence. Bond was set at $5,000 in municipal court. He also was ordered to wear an ankle monitor while the case is pending.
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