Trial for assault suspect to be set July 9

A trial date likely will be set July 9 for a suspect in an assault case where one of the two victims died.
Twenty-six-year-old Lucas R. Summers of Macon pleaded not guilty Thursday to felony first-degree assault.
Summers and three other men are suspects in the March 21 beatings of two men near Paris. One of the victims, 23-year-old Jerome D. Herrin of Madison, later died.
Judge Robert Clayton II continued bail at $200,000 cash-only. Public Defender Jonathan Hoover filled in for Todd Schulze, who was unable to attend due to another court hearing.
Also charged with first-degree assault in the case are 22-year-old Michael R. Flowers of Macon, 20-year-old Charles E. Webb of Shelbyville and 18-year-old Donald F. Fuller III of Clarence.
Webb and Fuller are scheduled for preliminary hearings at 1:30 p.m. June 10. Flowers is to be in court at 1:30 p.m. June 29. The preliminaries are on different days because of attorney schedules.
Authorities say the assaults started with a telephone argument.
Evidence shows the call prompted five men and one woman to drive from the Clarence area to the home of 19-year-old Drew Bartels southwest of Paris. The attacks took place about 1:30 a.m. March 21.
Deputies found Herrin dead in the yard when a caller from the home alerted them at 7:17 a.m. Bartels was injured but survived.
Witnesses previously told authorities that Summers beat Herrin and that the other three suspects attacked Bartels.
On Thursday, Summers was in the Monroe County Jail. The other three suspects are free on bond.
If convicted for first-degree assault, each suspect could be sentenced to 30 years in prison.