A pair of Clinton County residents charged in the brutal assault of an elderly Clinton County man last month have been indicted on multiple charges, including attempted murder, in connection with that incident.

The Clinton County Grand Jury, meeting on the first day of the month, returned indictments against Lisa York, 52, and Danny Stearns, 55, both of Albany involving four total counts.

The grand jury alleged that both defendants, on or about November 8, (count one) “acting alone or in complicity with each other committed the offense of first-degree robbery when defendant or defendants used physical force upon Billy B. Russell with the intent to accomplish a theft and when said defendant or defendants caused physical injury to Russell when said defendant or defendants cut and stabbed him with a large knife and struck him numerous times on the head with a rock.” Class B felony.

Count two: “acting alone or in complicity, defendant or defendants Lisa York and Danny Stearns…committed the offense of theft by unlawful taking or disposition over $500, a Class D felony, when (they) unlawfully took or exercised control over a 1997 Chevrolet pickup truck…the moveable property of Russell.”

Count three: “defendant or defendants…acting alone or in complicity with each other, committed the offense of assault first degree, a Class B felony, by intentionally causing serious physical injury…defendants stabbed him multiple times by means of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument…manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life…which created a grave risk of death to Billy G. Russell, when (they) stabbed him multiple times.”

Count four: “defendant or defendants, Lisa York and Danny Stearns, acting alone or in complicity with each other, committed the offense of criminal attempt to commit murder, a Class A felony, when said defendant or defendants intentionally cut, stabbed, beat, and attempted to run over Billy G. Russell and having the intent to cause the death of Russell.”

The incident occurred sometime during the evening of Tuesday, September 8 and culminated later that evening when the victim was found outside a home in the Piney Woods community at around 6:30 p.m. He had sustained several cuts and lacerations and was in need of medical attention, according to Clinton County Sheriff Jim Guffey, who testified before the grand jury in the case early this month.

Sheriff Guffey, who was in the County Clerk’s office (election night) when he received the call, responded to the residence and said it was apparent Russell had been robbed and assaulted.

At the time of the incident, the victim, age 77, told authorities that earlier in the evening two people had called him and asked for a ride. After a conversation, Russell was pulled from his vehicle and cut and stabbed multiple times.

The sheriff said at the time the two suspects were immediately identified from information obtained from the victim and a search began that eventually led into Cumberland County and later across state lines to Tennessee.

Sheriff Guffey said both suspects, York and Stearns, were found and arrested in Clay County, Tennessee in connection to the assault and robbery. He said both were allegedly intoxicated at the time of their arrest and charges are pending in Clay County as well.

According to reports, Russell’s treatment involved over 300 stitches as a result of the stabbing.

Russell’s account of the incident after he was assaulted is that he lay on the ground until he saw headlights coming at him, he rolled out of the direction of the vehicle to avoid getting run over.

According to the sheriff’s report, “they (York and Stearns) had called him for a ride and wasn’t real specific on where they wanted to go. They led him out to Bell Camp Road. They had a small conversation and at that time, Danny (Stearns) grabbed him around the neck and started cutting him. Lisa (York) was with him,” he said.

Guffey said they robbed Russell of less than $40, as well as taking his truck. They were tracked by use of their cell phone, which picked up a location near Dale Hollow State Park and once the suspects were back on the road traveling, they were apprehended around 11:30 p.m. in Clay County, Tennessee.

Both defendants were lodged in Clinton County Jail and at the time bond was set at $25,000 cash only on several charges that were levied at the time of their arrests.

Guffey told the Clinton County News following the incident that Russell had actually “walked more than a mile after he was stabbed in order to get help.” Other than cuts, the victim also suffered a broken hand and other injuries.

In an unrelated case, the man accused of manslaughter first degree in the death of James D. Guffey had an arraignment date in Clinton Circuit Court before Judge David L. Williams, also on December 1.

The defendant, Travis Slone of Albany, appeared with legal counsel, public advocate Brad Shuffett, waived formal arraignment and entered a plea of not guilty to the charge.

Slone was originally charged with murder in relation to the incident but was subsequently indicted by a Clinton County Grand Jury on the lesser charge.

The grand jury indictment, which was handed down November 3, alleged the defendant “committed the offense of manslaughter in the first degree, a Class C felony when…with the intent to cause serious physical injury to James D. Guffey…shot him in the chest thereby causing the death of Guffey.”

Kentucky State Police Detective Kenny Brown was the testifying witness before the grand jury when the true bill was sought.

The victim, the son of Albany Police Chief Ernest Guffey, died from his injury, which occurred at a residence near the Albany City Limits on Hwy. 738 (Wolf River Dock Road) about 2 p.m. on September 12.

State police reports Guffey, 53, was killed following an altercation with the suspect that occurred at that residence.

Guffey was treated at the scene and transported to The Medical Center at Albany, where he was pronounced dead.

Slone was charged with murder at the time of his arrest and incarcerated in the Russell County Detention Center.

On September 13, during an arraignment in Clinton District Court, Judge Mike Lawson set bond at $1 million and waived the case to the grand jury, which later indicted Slone on the lesser charge.

At the December 1 arraignment proceeding, Judge Williams scheduled a trial date in the case for April 5-7, 2017 and set a pretrial conference for February 9, 2017 at 9 a.m.