The Franklin News-Post
P. O. Box 250
310 Main Street, SW
Rocky Mount, Virginia 24151
540-483-5113
Fax: 540-483-8013
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James Lee Bond Jr. |
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
By KEN BRADLEY - Staff Writer
A Hardy man pleaded "no contest" Tuesday in Franklin County Circuit Court to two felony charges of malicious wounding and wounding a man in the commission of a felony.
James Lee Bond Jr., 47, also pleaded "no contest" to two misdemeanor charges of assault and battery and brandishing a machete, involving a second person.
The charges stemmed from an incident on May 26 in the Kroger parking lot at Westlake Towne Center.
The plea agreement calls for the two felony charges to be reduced to misdemeanor charges, as long as Bond follows any orders imposed by the judge.
In summarizing the evidence against Bond, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Dwight Rudd said the incident began as a near traffic mishap and escalated into a physical alteration between Bond and two men from Chesterfield County.
During the altercation, the driver of the vehicle from Chesterfield County was struck with a machete that Bond pulled out of the back of his pickup truck, Rudd said.
The victim was transported to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital for treatment for a gash on his arm, Rudd added.
Bond was arrested at the dumpsters on Scruggs Road. He told deputies that the object in the back of his truck, a machete, was a tire iron, Rudd said.
Later, Bond admitted it was a machete, not a tire iron, that he used during the altercation, Rudd said.
After hearing the summary of the evidence by Rudd, Circuit Court Judge W.N. Alexander II told Bond he was revoking his bond and he would stay in jail until his sentencing hearing.
"That was a nasty gash on the victim's arm," Alexander told Bond.
The two felony charges carry a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, and each of the misdemeanor charges carries a maximum sentence of 12 months.
A "no contest" plea is a form of guilty plea.
A presentence report was ordered to be prepared on Bond with a sentencing hearing set for Dec. 11 at 2:30 p.m. |
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