CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WV News) — A Mount Clare man who went to prison for unlawful assault in a 2019 beatdown of another male in a grocery store parking lot goes to trial Monday on an allegation that he gouged a neighbor's eyes to the point of bleeding in March 2024.

Eric Michael Cottrill, 44, has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent of the charges of felony malicious assault, felony attempted burglary, misdemeanor brandishing and misdemeanor battery. Harrison Chief Judge Christopher J. McCarthy is presiding.

In the investigation led by Harrison Sheriff's Detective Chase Barnett, Cottrill allegedly told law enforcement he was acting in self-defense, and denied that he gouged the man's eyes.

The stakes are high, as Assistant Prosecutor Gina Renzelli has said she will seek a two-time

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