PARAGOULD, Ark. — An August trial date has been set for a Greene County justice of the peace on a second-degree battery charge for allegedly striking the county judge.
The Paragould Daily Press reports that the attorney for Ronnie Wood waived formal arraignment during a hearing Friday in Greene County Circuit Court. Judge Brent Davis then scheduled Aug. 1 as the date for Wood to enter a plea and the trial is to start the week of Aug. 11.
Prosecutors say Wood pushed or hit County Judge Jerry Shipman in the shoulder on Jan. 22 during a meeting to discuss road improvements. Shipman told investigators that after the incident he suffered severe pain to his left side and his back, numbness in his left leg and soreness in his right shoulder.