HAZARD — A Perry County man accused of stabbing another man to death pleaded not guilty Tuesday during a telephone arraignment in Perry Circuit Court.

Adrian Banks, 44, of Allais, is currently receiving care at the Kentucky State Reformatory (KSR) in La Grange, Ky. after police say he shot himself last month. Banks was indicted only a week prior on a charge of murder stemming from the death of Allais resident Jerry Combs, who was found with multiple stab wounds inside his home on Walker Branch Road.

Banks was transported to the medical center at Vanderbilt University, and only last week returned to Kentucky, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Teresa Reed.

Banks was originally scheduled for arraignment in Perry Circuit Court on Thursday, Oct. 11, though Reed noted that because he was not able to be present, the arraignment was postponed until this week. At present, Reed added, Banks’s physician has advised him not to travel for court appearances in Hazard.

Defense attorney Brent Flowers entered his appearance on behalf of Banks, and though he has pleaded not guilty, a trial date has not yet been set in the case. Reed noted that a status conference has been scheduled for Nov. 20, at which time the court will receive updates as to Banks’s condition and whether or not he will be able to travel at that time.