CHRISTIANSBURG ­— A Radford man, who in 2010 was charged with attempted murder, was found guilty Tuesday of assault and battery in relation to a separate incident.

Joshua C. Johnston, 22, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Circuit Court to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery. Judge Bobby Turk sentenced Johnston to 24 months in jail with all but 60 days suspended and 12 months of active supervised probation.

According to Johnston’s case file, he originally was charged with felony unlawful wounding and malicious wounding after Dumisani Tembo and Cameron Hurd were injured Sept. 8. The charges were reduced as a result of a plea agreement, according to county Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Andrew Stephens.

During a summary of the evidence, Stephens said Johnston hit Hurd with a bottle, and shards struck Tembo. Hurd was not significantly injured, but Tembo “required repair around his eye,” and provided the prosecution with a copy of a medical bill for more than $1,000, Stephens said.

No other information was available Tuesday about the incident.

Johnston, a lifelong resident of Radford, has an “extensive” criminal history, according to his file.

In June 2010, Johnston was arrested on several charges, including attempted murder, after a man reported two months earlier that shots had been fired at him outside a home near Second Street and Forest Avenue in Radford.

Later in 2010, Johnston pleaded guilty in Radford Circuit Court to reduced charges of misdemeanor shooting in public, unlawful wounding and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon in relation to the incident, according to online court records. Johnston had been convicted of a felony when he was a juvenile, at age 14.

Johnston received two years in prison and five years of supervised probation for the shooting incident.

The Roanoke Times previously reported that Radford Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jason Annis said Johnston shot a gun into the air while Timothy West and Donald Lee Baylor were fighting.

When the shots did not break up the fight, Johnston struck West with a pistol and discharged the weapon again, Annis said.

West received injuries to the head. Radford police also reported that West was treated for a grazing gunshot wound.

According to online records, Johnston is now charged in Radford with violating his probation. The online records state that the alleged violation occurred June 28, 2012. Johnston has a revocation hearing scheduled for April 12.

Weather Journal

15 hours ago