SOUTH POINT, OH (WOWK) -- The South Point Board of Education said on Friday that Elementary School Principal Bill Christian will make a full recovery and is excited to see his staff and students after a stabbing incident sent him to the hospital.
The board said this during a meeting discussing "specialized details of security arrangements."
This comes one week after the arrest of 43-year-old Joshua Collins, of Huntington. He is accused of stabbing Christian on Oct. 24 at the school.
The incident began when Collins—a parent of a student at the school—entered the school 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. Sheriff Lawless said Thursday evening that he had been stabilized, but had severe injuries.
Collins was arraigned in Lawrence County on Friday and pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of telecommunications harassment and menacing by stalking. He was in the Western Regional Jail after being treated at a hospital in Cabell County. He was brought back to Lawrence County on Wednesday.
His lawyer asked for a preliminary date to be set for the felony charges of attempted murder and felonious assault. That was scheduled for Nov. 5.
If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 30 years in prison. His bond was temporarily set at $2 million with an ankle monitor.