Published: January 09, 2008 09:59 pm      

Tazewell indictments return four attempted murder charges

TAZEWELL, Va. — Four people have been indicted by the Tazewell County grand jury on attempted murder charges, Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee said Wednesday.

Lee said Jackie Everett Rife, II, 33, of Cedar Bluff, was indicted by the grand jury on two counts of attempted murder and abduction. Lee said the alleged incident occurred on Aug. 30, 2007, and involved Rife attempting to choke a woman.

Lee said Rife became involved in an argument with the woman in the Wardell section of Tazewell County.

“She got out of the vehicle, and the evidence in the preliminary hearing indicated that she walked away down (U.S. Route) 460, and he pulled up beside her and attempted to forcefully put her in the car,” Lee said. “When she resisted, he forcefully carried her to a back area behind some storage buildings. He proceeded to choke her, and choked her to a point where she lost consciousness.”

Lee said the man subsequently put the woman in the trunk of the vehicle, and transported her to a second residence. Lee said the man attempted to choke the woman again at the second residence.

Lee said Rife is presently being held in jail without bond. Lee said the man will be arraigned on the indictment charges Friday.

In a second unrelated case, Lee said three people charged in connection with the shooting of a police officer have been indicted by the Tazewell County grand jury on charges of attempted capital murder.

Scotty Lee Stinson, 28, of Bandy, was indicted by the grand jury on two counts of attempted capital murder, two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and eluding a law enforcement officer, according to Commonwealth Attorney Dennis Lee.

Lee said Wallace Stearil Kinder Jr., 34, of Cedar Bluff, was indicted on two counts of attempted capital murder and two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Lee said Tracy Marie Coxton, 32, of Bandy was indicted on two counts of attempted capital murder and two counts of the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

The three were arrested and charged last year in connection with the Oct. 19 shooting of Deputy Eric Mullins of the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department.

Lee said all three will be arraigned Friday and trial dates will be set at that time.

Mullins, who was wearing a bullet-proof vest and has since recovered, was shot twice when he approached a vehicle he stopped in Bluefield, Va., that matched the description of a vehicle involved in a pair of robberies in Claypool Hill and Richlands.

During an earlier preliminary hearing, Mullins testified that as he approached the vehicle and spoke with the driver he was able to identify the driver as Scotty Stinson. Stinson advised Mullins that he did not have a driver’s license. The deputy subsequently walked back to his vehicle to call the report in, according to an earlier report by Lee. As Mullins started walking back toward the car, Lee said Stinson turned around and put his arm out of the window and fired twice, striking Mullins on the finger and in the vest.

Lee said Mullins stumbled backwards and fell while a second officer opened fire on the vehicle as it fled the scene. Lee said the Commonwealth charged all of the suspects with attempted capital murder — even those who did not pull the trigger — using the theory of co-conspirator liability.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com