osbornk
Old man in the mountains
(Hurley is where VA, KY and WV meet)
A Hurley, Va., man was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for a foiled burglary that ended with him getting shot in the arm and beaten nearly to death with his own baseball bat.
Justin Gregory Charles was 21, fairly large and addicted to drugs when he walked into his neighborÔÇÖs used car lot wielding a wooden bat in January 2010.
The neighbor, Hershel ÔÇ£KennyÔÇØ Justus, was 64 years old and had owned the car lot adjacent to his house for more than 20 years. He knew Charles well and had employed him for odd jobs a time or two.
Charles told Justus to take him to JustusÔÇÖ house and open the safe. Justus refused and instead wrestled the young man to the ground and pried the baseball bat out of his hands.
ÔÇ£He was calling me an old man while we were fighting,ÔÇØ Justus told the Bristol Herald Courier the day after the scuffle. ÔÇ£I told him, the next one he picks on better be older than me.ÔÇØ
Justus, who described himself as a small man, said he wanted to just knock the young, much larger man unconscious, but Charles kept getting back up and coming back at him.
Justus beat him until the bat broke into three pieces and the entire office was spattered in blood.
ÔÇ£You know if you canÔÇÖt knock somebody out with a baseball bat, heÔÇÖs gotta be crazy on drugs,ÔÇØ Justus said at the time.
But still Charles didnÔÇÖt give up. He lunged again and Justus grabbed his gun, shot him in the shoulder and called the police.
Charles was taken to Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport by helicopter. When he was released three days later, the Buchanan County SheriffÔÇÖs Office charged him with attempted burglary, attempted abduction and assault and battery.
Justus said he threw out his shoulder.
Charles was convicted on all charges and sentenced to the maximum for each for a total of 16 years. The court suspended five years of the sentence.
ÔÇ£This was a sad and very disturbing case,ÔÇØ said Buchanan County CommonwealthÔÇÖs Attorney Tamara Neo. ÔÇ£Charles was young at the time of his horrible actions and clearly involved with drugs for a long part of his short life. Everyone involved, even Mr. Justus, wants to see addiction, particularly of our youth, ended in this county.ÔÇØ
A Hurley, Va., man was sentenced Monday to 11 years in prison for a foiled burglary that ended with him getting shot in the arm and beaten nearly to death with his own baseball bat.
Justin Gregory Charles was 21, fairly large and addicted to drugs when he walked into his neighborÔÇÖs used car lot wielding a wooden bat in January 2010.
The neighbor, Hershel ÔÇ£KennyÔÇØ Justus, was 64 years old and had owned the car lot adjacent to his house for more than 20 years. He knew Charles well and had employed him for odd jobs a time or two.
Charles told Justus to take him to JustusÔÇÖ house and open the safe. Justus refused and instead wrestled the young man to the ground and pried the baseball bat out of his hands.
ÔÇ£He was calling me an old man while we were fighting,ÔÇØ Justus told the Bristol Herald Courier the day after the scuffle. ÔÇ£I told him, the next one he picks on better be older than me.ÔÇØ
Justus, who described himself as a small man, said he wanted to just knock the young, much larger man unconscious, but Charles kept getting back up and coming back at him.
Justus beat him until the bat broke into three pieces and the entire office was spattered in blood.
ÔÇ£You know if you canÔÇÖt knock somebody out with a baseball bat, heÔÇÖs gotta be crazy on drugs,ÔÇØ Justus said at the time.
But still Charles didnÔÇÖt give up. He lunged again and Justus grabbed his gun, shot him in the shoulder and called the police.
Charles was taken to Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport by helicopter. When he was released three days later, the Buchanan County SheriffÔÇÖs Office charged him with attempted burglary, attempted abduction and assault and battery.
Justus said he threw out his shoulder.
Charles was convicted on all charges and sentenced to the maximum for each for a total of 16 years. The court suspended five years of the sentence.
ÔÇ£This was a sad and very disturbing case,ÔÇØ said Buchanan County CommonwealthÔÇÖs Attorney Tamara Neo. ÔÇ£Charles was young at the time of his horrible actions and clearly involved with drugs for a long part of his short life. Everyone involved, even Mr. Justus, wants to see addiction, particularly of our youth, ended in this county.ÔÇØ
and get with the times, we eat junk food like most everybody else, well, almost everybody-we had delicious homemade grilled pizzas last nite with a tossed salad.
