Plea deal rejected; jury trial set for Monday

Published 10:43 am Thursday, October 15, 2015

A man who was shot after allegedly breaking into a home in Willow Wood will face a jury come Monday.

William Hedrick, 44, of 2738 Jason Road, Ashland, rejected his final plea offer Wednesday in Lawrence County Common Pleas Court.

The offer was seven years in prison for a second-degree count of burglary. Eight years is the maximum prison sentence he faces if convicted at trial.

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Hedrick is accused of breaking into the Willow Wood home in January.

The homeowner and neighbors allegedly chased the man. Shots were fired and then he was held at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

Hedrick suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach and was taken to a Huntington, West Virginia, hospital, where he later left without knowledge of the staff.

He later turned himself in to authorities in May.

In other cases, James Adams, 35, of 2439 Micklethwaite Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to four years in prison for a second-degree count of trafficking in heroin.

Judge Charles Cooper also ordered the man to pay a $7,500 fine and suspended his driver’s license for six months.

Matisha Leach, 30, of 59 Rosita Lynn Drive, Point Pleasant, West Virginia, was arraigned on a bill of information of two fifth-degree counts of violating a protection order and misdemeanor counts of endangering children, domestic violence and assault, to which she pleaded not guilty.

Cooper continued bond from a lower court and set a pretrial for Oct. 28.

Richard Fooce, 22, of Fout’s Group Home in Ironton, was found incompetent to stand trial for a fifth-degree breaking and entering charge. He was arrested following the break in of WesBanco in Ironton.

According to the evaluation, Fooce will undergo treatment to restore his mental competency so he can stand trial at some point.

Nichole McDerment, 35, of 69 Township Road 1026 Apt. 9, South Point, pleaded guilty to two third-degree counts of aggravated trafficking in drugs and a fourth-degree count of aggravated trafficking in drugs.

Cooper sentenced the woman to three years in prison, a $5,000 fine and a six-month driver’s license suspension.