Two eastern Lawrence County men arrested in connection with the rape of a teenage girl resolved the cases against them and then each issued an apology to the victim Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

Kyle Hayes, 19, of 106 Walnut St., Proctorville, originally charged with felony rape, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

A cohort, Michael Christopher “Chris” Fulks, 20, of 384 Private Drive 1285, Chesapeake, pleaded guilty to the same misdemeanor charge.

Judge D. Scott Bowling sentenced each man to six months in jail but suspended the sentence and placed each man on three years probation.

Bowling issued a restraining order, instructing each man to avoid going around the victim and to refrain from publicly discussing the matter or disclosing information about the victim to others.

Each man apologized for his actions.

The alleged incident happened in the early morning hours of Jan. 3 in Rome Township.

Authorities contend the 15 year-old girl was given alcohol prior to the alleged rape and that she and the two men knew each other, hence the corruption allegation.

In another high profile eastern end case, William Hale, 24, of Wayne County, W.Va., the alleged mastermind behind the assault on a West Virginia cab driver in Proctorville in December, was arraigned Wednesday.

He pleaded not guilty through his attorney, Michael Gleichauf.

Judge Charles Cooper set a $500,000 bond and scheduled an April 1 pretrial conference.

Hale is accused of stabbing cab driver Walter “Corky” Asbury in an attempt to get money. Hale was arrested in Huntington, W.Va., shortly after the incident and taken to the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville.

Christopher D. Colburn, 24, of 284 Private Drive 1285, Chesapeake, and Brandi D. Davis, 20, of 7965 County Road 107, Proctorville, each charged in connection with the assault on Asbury, were arraigned previously and their cases are pending in common pleas court.