SOUTH POINT, OH (WOWK) -- The Lawrence County Sheriff's Office is releasing more details after an Ohio elementary school principal was stabbed at the school Thursday.
According to Lawrence County Sheriff Jeff Lawless, the incident began when the suspect, Joshua Collins, 43, of Huntington, entered the school and stopped by the front office. Lawless said Collins "had been upset over a child custody issue."
The sheriff says Principal Bill Christian met Collins in the hall just outside the office. As the two men were talking, Collins allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket, stabbing the principal in the neck and upper torso, according to Sheriff Lawless.
Principal Christian then went back into the office behind a locked door. Sheriff Lawless says at that point, Collins allegedly broke the glass out of the door's window and went into the office. The sheriff says Collins pursued the principal through multiple parts of the office and into the cafeteria area.
During the incident, authorities were called and a South Point Police Officer arrived on scene within a minute. Sheriff Lawless says the officer confronted Collins in the cafeteria and took him into custody.
According to the sheriff, Principal Christian was treated on the scene by the school nurse until Lawrence County EMS arrived. He was then taken to a hospital in Huntington. Sheriff Lawless said earlier this evening that he had been stabilized, but had severe injuries.
Collins was also taken to the hospital, according to Lawless, for cuts to his arms believed to be from the glass of the broken window.
No children were harmed. Students were let out of school early, according to the South Point Local School District.
Collins was arrested by deputies on a felonious assault warrant issued in the case, and as he was taken to a hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, an extradition hearing took place so Collins will be brought back to Lawrence County to face charges.
No dates for his extradition or arraignment have been set. Lawless says additional charges are expected to be filed.
Schools in the South Point Local School District will be closed on Friday, according to a post from the district.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation will handle the investigation.
The school district says Christian has been an educator for 32 years and started as principal at South Point Elementary at the start of the school year.