By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A 67-year-old Alabaster man has pleaded not guilty to beating his neighbor with a novelty baseball bat, and is scheduled to appear in court again in September.

Fred McClendon Bohannon, who lists an address in the 200 block of Norwick Forest Drive, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of first-degree assault on July 1, according to Shelby County Circuit Court documents.

He is now scheduled to appear in court for a status call at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, according to court documents.

First-degree assault is a Class B felony. If convicted of the crime, Bohannon could face up to 20 years in prison.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested Bohannon at about 2:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day and charged him with one felony count of first-degree assault. The arrest came after Bohannon allegedly used the miniature baseball bat to assault his neighbor after the two were involved in an argument over property lines, Alabaster Police Chief Curtis Rigney said previously.

Rigney said the victim in the case suffered “severe” injuries, leading to the first-degree assault charge.

According to court records, Bohannon was released from the Shelby County Jail on a $10,000 bond the day after he was arrested.

According to Alabama law, first-degree assault occurs when a person “with intent to cause serious physical injury to another person … causes serious physical injury to any person by means of a deadly weapon or a dangerous instrument.”