Motion to continue denied in Collins pool case

Published 6:56 pm Monday, April 29, 2013

Megan Woolard

Megan Woolard

 

A motion to continue the trial of Megan Woolard was denied by Superior Court Judge Russell Duke Jr. Monday.

Woolard is one of three defendants in the Collins pool case, in which the three adults attempted to throw 4-year-old Jasmine Collins from a rooftop into an above-ground pool, resulting in severe injuries to the child.

Camelia Cartwright, Brandon Woolard and Megan Woolard were arrested on charges related to the July 11, 2011, incident. Megan Woolard was charged with assault inflicting serious body injury.

At the time of the incident, Jasmine Collins was visiting an adult friend of the family, according to officials. Her injuries resulted when she hit the side of the pool, instead of the water. Hours later, she was taken to the emergency room at Vidant Beaufort Hospital, then was later transferred to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where she was treated for internal injuries.

Woolard’s defense counsel, Brian Jones, said while he had filed a motion for discovery in January 2012 and received over a thousand pages of documents, no where was a victim’s statement included. The fact that it was given to him Monday morning, potentially on the day of the trial’s start, pointed to “new and different” evidence and reason to delay the trial, Jones said.

Assistant District Attorney Chad Stoop argued that in May 2012 and June 2012, the state provided two memos from District Attorney Seth Edwards comprising interviews with Jasmine Collins’ mother relaying the events as told to her by her daughter.

Duke denied the motion to continue. The case is expected to go to trial Wednesday.