MANSFIELD — Herman Preston, of Mansfield, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to aggravated murder in connection with the death of his wife on June 26.
Preston also faces a tampering with evidence charge, a third-degree felony, for which he has yet to plead.
Magistrate Garry Dalbey set a $500,000 cash bond and appointed attorney Robert Whitney to represent Preston.
During the arraignment, Preston requested a speedy trial. Dalbey said the arraignment was being recorded and that his request had been heard.
Police say Preston’s charges stem from an altercation that left his wife, Amanda Preston, dead in the couple’s garage on the morning of June 26. He was charged with murder the next morning and his case was bound over to the Richland County Grand Jury.
Amanda Preston, was declared dead by the Richland County Coroner at 10:16 a.m. on Sunday after Sheriff’s deputies found her unresponsive in the garage at the residence. Herman Preston called 911 at 9:35 a.m. and told the dispatcher his wife had been drinking the night before and cut his arm after becoming angry with him. He stated he then locked her in the garage.
Responders to the scene included the Richland County Coroner, the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit, the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification, and Richland County Prosecutor Bambi Couch Page.
