THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 24, 1995 TAG: 9502240581
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Short : 28 lines
A General District Court judge on Thursday sent to a grand jury charges of malicious wounding against a 37-year-old man accused of hitting a woman several times on the head with an ax in a Churchland shopping center parking lot last month.
Michael Coker was arrested Jan. 13 after several witnesses said they saw him enter the parking lot of the Food Lion grocery store at Town Point Square. Witnesses said he carried the ax on the handlebars of his bicycle.
Witness Johnnie Day testified that he was about 60 feet away from Coker when he saw Coker park the bike, approach Tammie L. Wainwright and strike her on the head with the ax.
Wainwright, a 34-year-old mother of two, declined to comment. Coker, formerly of the 3800 block of Greenleaf Trail, is a paroled felon. He is being held in the City Jail.
KEYWORDS: GRAND JURY MALICIOUS WOUNDING by CNB