HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – According to the Vanderburgh County Prosecutor’s Office, James Francisco Payne was sentenced on September 1.
This follows a guilty verdict that was reached on January 9, on charges of Battery by Means of a Deadly Weapon and Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, both of which are Level 5 felonies. The two convictions were merged into one count for sentencing purposes.
In May of 2022, Payne had gone into a Circle K at the intersection of Fulton and Columbia in Evansville. Authorities say he went behind the counter and asked the clerk where they kept knives. When the clerk wasn’t sure how to answer, Payne struck him in the head with a wrench multiple times, causing lacerations.
Officers with the Evansville Police Department apprehended Payne, who had a wrench in his possession at the time. Video evidence presented at the trial confirmed the victim’s testimony of the incident.
Payne will serve 10 years in the Indiana Department of Corrections.
