BENNETTSVILLE, S.C. — A Richmond County man is facing charges south of the state line following an alleged ax attack.
According to the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded to a home on Wildewood Road north of Bennettsville, just south of the North Carolina-South Carolina border, on June 21 in reference to a man who had been stabbed.
Once they arrived on scene, deputies with the Uniformed Patrol Division reportedly found the unnamed victim with “serious apparent wounds.” The victim reportedly was taken to an out-of-state hospital for treatment of his wounds.
Investigators say 62-year-old Jimmy Ray Barber, of Hamlet, attacked the victim with an ax. Barber is charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature.
Barber was reportedly arrested June 22 on a charge of following a traffic stop by Detective Antonio Alford and taken to the Marlboro County Detention Center and given a $50,000 surety bond.
The case is not yet reflected in Marlboro County court records available online.
However, North Carolina court records show Barber is scheduled to appear in Haywood County District Court July 7 for speeding.
Records with the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction show Barber was previously convicted in 1998 of larceny by an employee, a Class H felony, and was given probation.
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
