Coeburn man gets sentenced online

A Coeburn man faces prison time for several criminal offenses after having gone through the first entirely online plea and sentencing hearing in Wise County circuit court.

Antwain Timothy James Hale, 38, was sentenced Wednesday to nine and one-half years in prison, with all but two years and two months suspended, according to a press release from Commonwealth Attorney Chuck Slemp. He was also ordered to pay a $250 fine. After his release, Hale will face five years of probation.

Hale was convicted of strangulation, assault and battery, obstruction of justice, being intoxicated in public, possessing methamphetamine and violating probation. The crimes involved three separate incidents, according to Slemp.

One of the most notable incidents took place in August 2019. Hale approached a group of people visiting St. Paul from out of state. He was “acting erratically,” according to the release, and lunged at a woman, choking her briefly. The incident was caught on security video.

Slightly more than a week earlier, St. Paul police got a complaint that Hale was at a gas station, appearing to be under the influence of drugs. He struggled with officers.

In October 2018, county sheriff’s deputies were arresting Hale for another incident when they found methamphetamine on him.

Chief deputy prosecutor Steven Davis tried the case.

Hale remains at the Duffield regional jail, awaiting transfer to the Virginia Department of Corrections.