CLAY COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) - A West Point man is charged with murder. Sheriff Eddie Scott says 36-year-old Nathaniel Collins has been charged with the murder of 45-year-old Lawrence Maxwell. Scott says they received a call on July 5th that Maxwell was lying in a ditch next to Tibbee Creek, severely beaten and possibly shot. Collins is currently in the Clay County Jail. His bond is set at $1 million. He is scheduled to appear in court on August 16th.

Scott says the investigation is ongoing and encourages anyone with any information to contact the Clay County Sheriff's Department at 662-494-2896 or Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at 1-800-530-7151.