Baseball players' trial set for August

By Jessica Coleman

Contributing Writer

According to a statement in court by their attorney Brent Dornburg, four former Industrial ISD baseball players are scheduled to stand before a jury in August.

Zachary James Kuchler, Christopher Taylor McCrory, Braxton Cole Warren, and Cullen Reid Stumfoll, all 2023 graduates of Industrial ISD, were indicted last year by a Jackson County Grand Jury for Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity. They have been set for an August 26 trial date after multiple resets in the Jackson County District Court.

The four were accused by a fellow student and teammate of assault, which the alleged victim said happened on an Industrial ISD school bus in April of 2023. The incident and subsequent arrests sparked arguments in the community, with some calling it hazing and assault, and others dismissing it as horseplay.

McCrory, Stumfoll and Kuchler were arrested on July 20, 2023. Warren was arrested just a few days later on July 24. Each posted a $10,000 bond and were released.