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Associated Press - November 18, 2009 9:54 AM ET
JONESBORO, Ill. (AP) - A man accused of trying to kill two women in a southern Illinois church says he didn't do it.
Forty-5-year-old Willis Bates of Anna pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Union County to charges of attempted murder, burglary and felony theft in the Sept. 28 violence at the First Baptist Church of Anna.
Sixty-9-year-old church secretary Mary Shepard was injured along with a 76-year-old cleaning woman, Leona Mount.
Prosecutors also have charged 22-year-old Jared Garver of Anna with obstructing justice and being a felon with a handgun. Authorities say after the attacks, Garver let Bates hide in his basement and hid a handgun belonging to him.
Bates' pre-trial hearing is set for Dec. 8, a week before Garver is expected back in court.
Information from: WSIL-TV, http://www.wsiltv.com
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