LAWRENCE COUNTY, OH (WOWK) - A Lawrence County, Ohio, judge is weighing the case of a man accused of stabbing an elementary school principal during the school day after he waived his right to a jury trial.
Joshua Collins, of Huntington, waived that right Monday morning in Lawrence County Court, opting instead for a judge to hear and deliberate the case. Collins is charged with attempted murder after South Point Elementary School Bill Christian was stabbed in October 2024.
Judge Andrew Ballard says he expects the trial to last about three days.
On Monday morning, the prosecution presented a video from inside the school as well as 911 recordings from Lawrence County EMS as evidence. The prosecutor is expected to call school staff to the stand as well.
In November, Collins waived his right to a speedy trial. The day before that, he was indicted on 18 counts, including attempted murder; felonious assault; 10 counts of kidnapping; two counts of menacing by stalking; telecommunications harassment; inducing panic; breaking and entering; and illegal conveyance or possession of a deadly weapon or dangerous ordinance in a school safety zone.
This all happened after Collins—a parent of a student at the school—entered the school on Oct. 24, 2024, and stopped by the front office, according to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless. He said Collins “had been upset over a child custody issue.”
The sheriff said Christian met Collins in the hall just outside the office. As the two men were talking, Collins pulled a knife from his pocket, stabbing the principal in the neck and upper torso, according to Sheriff Lawless.
Christian then went back into the office behind a locked door. Sheriff Lawless said that Collins then broke the glass out of the door’s window and went into the office. The sheriff said Collins pursued the principal through multiple parts of the office and into the cafeteria area.
During the incident, authorities were called and a South Point Police Officer arrived on scene within a minute. Sheriff Lawless said the officer confronted Collins in the cafeteria and took him into custody.
According to the sheriff, Principal Christian was treated on the scene by the school nurse until Lawrence County EMS arrived. He was then taken to a hospital in Huntington. In early November, the School Board said Principal Christian was expected to make a full recovery.
Christian has been an educator for more than 30 years and became the principal at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year.