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Published: Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2009 / Updated: Tuesday, Jun. 16, 2009 04:29 PM

Mom gets jail time in stabbing incident

A mother of four pleaded guilty last week to stabbing a Fort Mill man after he allegedly knocked some of her son's teeth out.

That 2008 stabbing left Mark Hall with a 12-inch cut in his stomach, officials said.

Christie Lynette Collins, 35, of 1857 Quailwood Drive, pleaded guilty last Wednesday to two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature, according to Assistant Solicitor Mindy Hervey of the 16th Circuit Solicitor's Office.

Assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature carries a 10-year sentence, Deputy Solicitor Willy Thompson said.

Judge Kenneth G. Goode last Wednesday handed down a two-year prison sentence for each charge, according to Hervey and the 16th Judicial Circuit public index. Collins' sentences will run concurrently, Hervey said.

"We realize that she could have received much more time," Gary Lemel of the 16th Circuit Public Defender's Office said about his client. "We are very happy that the judge felt that a short prison sentence was appropriate."

The index shows Collins, a former bookkeeper, had already served three months in jail. Her charges and subsequent prison sentence were triggered in part from an altercation that happened June 13, 2008, between Collins' oldest son and Hall's daughter, Lemel and Hervey said.

"It's unclear what happened earlier that night between the two, but at some point Mark Hall became involved in the dispute between the teenagers," Lemel said.

Then an assault occurred, he said.

"According to Collins' son, he was assaulted by Mark Hall and lost his front teeth," Lemel said. That is what led to Mr. Hall and Mrs. Collins getting into a confrontation."

At some point, Collins and Hall engaged in a cell phone conversation that led to the pair meeting in the parking lot of a Fort Mill Valero gas station at 1431 Hwy. 160 East.

"They got into a physical confrontation," Hervey said. "She armed herself with a knife and she cut him. He had a fairly large cut -- a 12-inch laceration -- to his abdomen. Then another guy in the truck with the victim (Hall) gets out to help him and gets cut, too."

Lemel offered another version of the fight.

"Mrs. Collins was initially assaulted by Mr. Hall as were other members of her family who were there," Lemel said. "The knife, which was never recovered, was brought to the scene by Mr. Hall. In the course of the fight, my client got possession of the knife and admits she cut Mr. Hall."

Arrest warrants note Collins "repeatedly" stabbed Hall and a second man, Clifton Earl Johnson, causing "serious bodily injuries." In addition to the 12-inch slash, Hall also received cuts on his hand, back and shoulder.

The fight left Collins with slashes on her arms, including a five-inch scar, and a black eye. She originally faced multiple charges, including two counts of assault and battery with intent to kill, two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime and simple assault, according to a report from York County Sheriff's Office.

Meanwhile, Hall's injuries warranted "immediate medical attention" and were life threatening, an arrest warrant notes. Johnson's injuries also required treatment and hospitalization, a second warrant notes.

Collins' bond was set at $33,957. She was released on bond Aug. 18, 2008, according to a York County Detention Center official.

Last Wednesday, Collins pleaded guilty to lesser charges: two counts of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Then Judge Goode sentenced the mother of two daughters and two sons.

"We appreciate the judge's consideration of Mrs. Collins' actions that night as a distraught mother who was protecting her oldest child," Lemel said. "She realizes that she made a poor decision in going to the Valero gas station that night and accepts the judge's ruling."

Authorities last Friday transferred Collins to a jail in Columbia. She will eventually be transferred to a state prison.