Parent stabs principal in South Point

SOUTH POINT A Huntington man stabbed an elementary school principal multiple times in southeast Ohio Thursday afternoon, according to police.

Joshua Lee Collins, 43, was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault after attacking South Point Elementary School Principal Bill Christian as Collins tried to pick up his child during the school day.

South Point police Chief Chris Majors said staff allowed Collins to enter the first doors, but he was “still locked out.”

“He was only allowed into the lobby area, not into the school,” Majors said.

According to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, Christian met Collins in the hallway just outside the office door. The statement stated that “Collins is upset about the child custody issue.” “While Mr. Christian was talking to Collins, Collins pulled a knife from his pocket and began stabbing Mr. Christian in the neck and upper torso.”

After Christian managed to get back into the office through a locked door, Collins broke the window glass, entered the office, and chased Christian throughout the office and then into the cafeteria area.

South Point police responded within a minute of receiving the call from the school at 1:41 p.m.

“Once inside, the officer confronted the suspect and was able to subdue the suspect very quickly,” Majors said. “He went and detained him and put him in the back of the patrol car.”

All South Point schools were immediately placed on lockdown. No one else was harmed during the incident.

“The children were not in danger at any time,” Majors said.

He said it only took 20 minutes to get the kids out of the school after the police chief arrived.

“We allowed the kids to go out through the windows and in different directions so they weren’t around the crime scene and didn’t see anything that could be traumatic for them,” Majors said. “The transfer of the children to their parents was a smooth process.”

A school nurse treated Christian at the scene until Lawrence County Emergency Services arrived. EMS director St. Louis in Huntington. He was transferred to St. Mary’s Hospital.

Police had not released an update on Christian’s condition as of press time. According to social media posts from those close to the family, Christian was in intensive care in a stable condition.

Collins suffered cuts to his arms “possibly from the glass window he broke,” according to the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office, so he was taken to St. He was transported to St. Mary’s. Deputies escorted Collins to the hospital. Huntington Police arrested Collins on a warrant for aggravated assault.

The sheriff’s office said an extradition hearing will be held before Collins returns to Lawrence County to face charges. The press release stated that additional charges will be filed as the investigation continues.

* While detectives continue the investigation, the BCI&I Crime Scene Unit is investigating the scene.

Police had not yet released details about the gun as of Thursday night.

The sheriff’s office, Chesapeake Police, Coal Grove Police and other agencies arrived quickly, according to Majors.

“The response has been phenomenal,” Majors said. “I couldn’t be happier that all the agencies were involved and my guys showed up within minutes.”

A school resource officer was on duty, but that officer was at South Point High School at the time of the attack.

According to Majors, Collins was on South Point Police’s radar due to past encounters, but was not aware of any previous threats to the school or school personnel.

“He had made threats to the South Point Police Department,” Majors said. “He had some issues with us and didn’t like the way we enforced the law. “We argued with him a few times.”

Majors praised school staff for handling the situation correctly and quickly.

Christian is in his first year as principal of South Point Elementary School. He has been an educator for 33 years, according to the South Point Local School District. He began his career as a science teacher in Huntington St. before moving to South Point High School in 1996. It started with Joe. Christian attended South Point Elementary School in 1999 as an intervention specialist. He became the school’s deputy principal in 2012. Current Superintendent Chris Mathes was principal during Christian’s time as assistant principal.