‘The only thing I’m guilty of is running,’ says defendant
WAYNESBURG – Sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a cast around his injured left leg while awaiting his preliminary hearing Monday, Julius Hurt proclaimed his innocence and denied pointing a gun at a Waynesburg police officer before being shot once in the ankle last month.
Hurt spoke to Greene County District Attorney Marjorie Fox for several minutes as they prepared for his hearing on charges he was acting unruly in Waynesburg and allegedly pointed a gun at Officer Charles Sochor as they confronted each other May 3 before the officer fired once at Hurt.
“I didn’t point any weapon at the officer. I honestly didn’t,” Hurt said, also claiming he didn’t tussle with the officer after getting shot. “The only thing I’m guilty of is running.”
Hurt, 32, of Waynesburg, is facing felony charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license, along with misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment and resisting arrest.
He had requested a public defender Friday, but no one was available in the office to attend his preliminary hearing Monday afternoon. Although Hurt momentarily suggested he could defend himself, District Judge Glenn Bates decided he should have legal counsel and postponed the hearing to a later date.
The delay concerned Hurt, who complained about his injured left leg and told Fox he should be transferred from Greene County jail to a hospital for further treatment of his wound. He said he was preparing to undergo a third surgery on his leg.
“My leg is really bad,” Hurt said. “It’s painful to sleep at night.”
“I’m just a lawyer,” Fox told Hurt as they sat in the courtroom just a few feet away from one another.
He also asked the judge if he could have his $50,000 bond reduced, although Fox suggested she planned to ask for a bail increase. Bates said that decision would be made later in Greene County Court. Hurt was returned to the Greene County jail to await his new preliminary hearing date, which has not been set.
According to court documents filed by state police, Hurt was seen acting “unruly” and holding a gun while walking behind the Greene County Courthouse about 1 a.m. May 3. Waynesburg police officers were dispatched and Sochor encountered Hurt walking north on Morris Street toward High Street. State police said Sochor shouted at Hurt to stop, but he began running.
Police said Hurt then pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at Sochor before the officer fired his weapon once, striking Hurt in the leg.
Aaron Delaney, an Observer-Reporter newspaper delivery driver, corroborated most of the police report, but also told the newspaper in an interview hours after the incident he did not see Hurt point a gun at the officer during the confrontation. Delaney said he saw Hurt with a gun near the courthouse but not before being shot.
Hurt spent more than two weeks at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, W.Va., while undergoing treatment.