Tipp City man pleads not guilty to beating woman who remains in a coma

Joshua Thomas Kerg

Credit: Miami County Jail

Credit: Miami County Jail

Joshua Thomas Kerg

A 33-year-old Tipp City man accused of beating a Tipp City woman on April 27 and leaving her in critical condition pleaded not guilty Thursday to felonious assault.

Joshua Thomas Kerg was indicted June 10 by a Miami County grand jury. The charge accuses him of knowingly causing serious physical harm. He was jailed the day of the assault and remains in the Miami County Jail.

Kerg is accused of engaging in a verbal altercation with a 67-year-old woman at his father’s home before grabbing the woman by the waist and carrying her to the front lawn. There, he allegedly punched her with his bare fists until she was unconscious, police said. The woman remains hospitalized in a coma, Judge Stacy Wall was told Thursday in Miami County Common Pleas Court.

“Eventually a witness intervened and stopped Joshua,” Tipp City Police Detective Sgt. Chris Graham wrote in charging documents filed with the court. “Once the witness intervened, Joshua dismounted and retreated into an attached garage where he laid down.”

First responders found Kerg in the garage, and took him into custody.

Assistant County Prosecutor Matt Joseph asked the judge to set a high bond, saying the victim remained hospitalized and the bond was needed “for the safety of the community and the safety of the defendant.”

Wall continued Kerg’s bail at $100,000 cash or surety and set a pretrial hearing for July 13.

The charge carries a potential prison term of a minimum of two to eight years and a maximum of 12 years in prison.

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