More charges filed in officer assault

SUFFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - A Portsmouth man now faces an attempted murder charge after police say he brutally attacked a Suffolk police officer over the weekend.

Joseph Staton, 43, of Portsmouth, is charged with attempting to remove a firearm from law enforcement officer, attempting to murder a law enforcement officer, forgery of a public record, uttering a forged public record and grand larceny.

Staton faces previous charges of malicious wounding of a police officer, aggravated malicious wounding, shooting, stabbing, cutting or wounding, grand larceny of a police radio, possession of stolen vehicle, burglary and third offense petit larceny for taking clothing from a residence.

Monday morning around 9 a.m., Staton appeared before a judge for a video arraignment . He remains in custody and a preliminary hearing has been set for July 30 at 10 a.m.

Staton allegedly assaulted Officer James Winslow and left him unconscious in the woods in the 1000 block of Nansemond Parkway near Portsmouth Boulevard Saturday morning.

Winslow responded to a call around 8:26 a.m. for a stolen vehicle when he chased Staton into a wooded area, Debbie George with the City of Suffolk told WAVY.com. Once he was in the woods, Staton reportedly used a blunt object to strike Officer Winslow in the face, where he suffered serious head injuries as well as injuries to his arms.

When additional police officers responded to the scene, they found the assaulted officer lying unconscious. Winslow was flown by Nightingale to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital where he remains in critical condition at this time.

Debbie George with Suffolk Police told WAVY.com on May 22 that Winslow's condition has improved tremendously since Saturday, but he "still has a long way to go."

A fund has been established for Winslow's recovery.

Officer Winslow has been on the force for two and a half years.

Stay with WAVY.com for the latest information on this developing story.