A Clay County man has been bound over to the action of a Montgomery County grand jury for allegedly assaulting a school resource officer and a school official when he walked into the Winona Career and Technical Center.
William Davis of Pheba has been charged with two counts of simple assault on a policeman or school official in the line of duty.
Winona School Resource Office Mac Burrell testified Thursday morning that he received a call from Lance VanHorn, director of the Winona Career and Technical Center, on Friday, Nov. 6 that there was a man in the building who was acting suspicious. Burrell said when he got to there, he and VanHorn stood outside of the secretary’s office and saw Davis holding the phone. He said the secretary told him that Davis came into the building and asked if he could use the phone.
“He said he was trying to get his things and get a ride back to Pheba,” Burrell said.
He said Davis held the phone to his ear for 10 minutes but there was no one on the receiving end of the call. Burrell said he told Davis that it was a business line and he needed to “hurry up and leave.” He said Davis held the phone for another 10 minutes. Burrell said he then called the office phone, and the secretary asked Davis for the receiver.
“She looked down and saw it was my number and pretended to carry on a conversation,” Burrell said. He said he then told Davis it was time for him to leave, and Davis shouted profanities at him. Burrell said Davis pushed him and he grabbed Davis around the head and the two began to scuffle a little.
VanHorn, who also testified, said he went to assist Burrell in getting Davis to leave when Davis began shouting profanities at him also. Both men said Davis told them they had his belongings, and they were going to return them.
VanHorn said when he went to assist Burrell, Davis got loose from Burrell’s hold and lunged at him. He said the two ended up in a scuffle on the ground until Burrell instructed VanHorn to release Davis. He said Burrell then used a Taser on Davis.
Burrell said Davis then left out of the building and went to the “business adjacent to the school,” a convenience store. He said he then called 911 and requested backup.
The Winona Police Department responded and Davis was apprehended.
Following testimony, Judge Allen D. Lancaster bound Davis over to the action of the grand jury. set at 50,000.
