A judge entered a not-guilty plea Monday for the man charged with assaulting Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer.

District Judge Michael Loy entered the plea for Kanissa'ai Thompson during a short hearing in Adair County.

Thompson, 18, is charged with second-degree assault, a felony. He allegedly injured Meyer seriously enough that Meyer required medical treatment, including staples to close a gash on his head.

Thompson denied the allegation, saying it was a woman who hit Meyer during a party in December. Meyer has said Thompson's account of the altercation is false.

Loy also appointed a public defender to represent Thompson and scheduled a preliminary hearing for him for Jan. 16.

The purpose of the preliminary hearing will be for a judge to rule whether there is sufficient evidence to justify sending Thompson's case to a grand jury, which would then decide whether to indict Thompson.

Bill Estep: (606) 678-4655. Twitter: @billestep1.