LAWRENCE COUNTY, OH (WOWK) - A man accused of stabbing a school principal last week in Lawrence County Ohio is facing multiple charges.
Joshua Collins, 43, of Huntington, is charged with telecommunications harassment, felonious assault and two counts of menacing by stalking. The charges stem from four different incidents leading up to and including the Oct. 24 stabbing of South Point Elementary School Principal Bill Christian.
According to the criminal complaints, those charges include:
Felonious assault charge:
According to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless, the incident on Thursday, Oct. 24, began when Collins entered the school and stopped by the front office. Lawless said Collins “had been upset over a child custody issue.”
The sheriff says Principal Christian met Collins in the hall just outside the office. As the two men were talking, Collins allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket, stabbing the principal in the neck and upper torso, according to Sheriff Lawless.
Principal Christian then went back into the office behind a locked door. Sheriff Lawless says at that point, Collins allegedly broke the glass out of the door’s window and went into the office. The sheriff says Collins allegedly 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 says 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. Sheriff Lawless said Thursday evening that he had been stabilized, but had severe injuries.
The criminal complaint filed in Lawrence County Municipal Court referred to Christian's injuries as "life-threatening." There is no word on his condition at this time.
Harassment Charge:
Just days before the stabbing on Monday, Oct. 21, Principal Christian had called the authorities following another alleged incident involving Collins. According to another complaint filed in Lawrence County Municipal Court, Collins arrived at the school that day to drop off his child's medication for his ex-wife to pick up.
The complaint states that office staff said when Principal Christian left the building, Collins began "acting odd and out of character." They say he asked for papers to be copied and gave the staff a folder. The complaint says when a staff member gave Collins back the folder, he began going through it "urgently" and accused the staff member of taking a letter out of the folder.
According to the complaint, he continued to "act off" and allegedly began shouting, getting louder and acting aggressively during the female personnel, even demanding to check the trash can for the alleged letter. The complaint states the staff told authorities it "seemed like he was stalling."
The complaint states that the assistant principal then came out and tried to assist the situation, and Collins allegedly continued to state he needed the handwritten letter back that he claimed the staff member took. He also reminded the principal to contact his ex-wife regarding the medication. He then allegedly pulled out his cell phone and took photos of the assistant principal and other staff and faculty members in the office before leaving.
According to the complaint, about 10 minutes after the incident, the assistant principal then spoke with Principal Christian about Collins' odd behavior. The principal then contacted authorities. The complaint states Collins then called the assistant principal and asked if she had contacted his ex-wife yet. According to the complaint, when she said she had not, Collins allegedly told her that she had 10 minutes to do so or he would "just have to come back over there to the office," allegedly in an attempt to scare the assistant principal.
The complaint says the assistant principal did call the child's mother, and that Collins called back a short time after. The complaint also says police presence was upgraded at the school while the child's mother came to meet with the assistant principal as they both believed Collins was acting unpredictable and could cause a threat to himself or others, or attempt to take off with his child. According to the complaint, during this investigation, a deputy with the Lawrence County Sheriff's Office learned of alleged threats made toward the South Point Police Department.
First menacing by stalking charge:
Another complaint filed in the Lawrence County Municipal Court states that Collins is accused of "engaging in a pattern of conduct, knowingly" that caused his ex-wife to believe he would cause her physical harm. The complaint alleges that he had sent her repeat messages between Oct. 3 and Oct. 12 through "a court app."
Second menacing by stalking:
According to another complaint filed in Lawrence County Municipal Court, on Oct. 12, authorities were dispatched to a home in Lawrence County due to a disturbance allegedly caused by Collins.
The complaint states that a male and two females spoke with an officer, and one of the females stated that she and her father had been in the living room when a silver Mustang appeared in front of the home and allegedly began revving the engine, honking and trying to cause a disturbance. According to the complaint, the male then checked the cameras, and they allegedly identified Collins as the person in the Mustang. One of the females then got up and locked the door. They say the person in the Mustang, whom they believed to be Collins then began taking pictures of one of the female's vehicle and causing a disturbance before peeling out and leaving the home.
According to the complaint, the male told authorities Collins had allegedly been taking pictures of and causing disturbances toward him and his relatives due to a relationship he had been in with Collins' ex-wife, and told authorities that the relationship had ended.
The second female told authorities Collins had allegedly shown similar behavior at her residence and had made Facebook posts "trying to cost her her job."