Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LEWISTON WOODVILLE – A local man is under arrest, jailed under a $1.2 million secured bond, after firing shots at Bertie County Sheriff’s deputies near here Friday morning.

Bertie Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said that 34-year-old Dominique Javon Thompson of Lewiston Woodville fled the scene and was arrested around 10 a.m. in Kinston by the police there.

Following his arrest, Thompson was charged with three felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, three felony counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property, two counts of assault on a law enforcement animal, two counts of damage to government property, and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Thompson was transported to Windsor on Friday afternoon where he was processed and placed in the Bertie-Martin Regional Jail.

Ruffin said Thompson fired at the deputies after they responded to a residence in the 100 block of Weeping Mary Road at around 1:20 a.m. Friday morning. Fortunately, none of the deputies were injured.

The deputies were responding in reference to an individual reportedly outside of a residence with a firearm, Ruffin said. Deputies arrived in the area within minutes of the 911 call.

Shortly thereafter, Thompson reportedly fled the scene in a vehicle, prompting the Bertie Sheriff’s Office to advise the public to be on the lookout for the suspect. At that time they also advised that Thompson was considered “armed and dangerous” and they had reason to believe he may have fled to Kinston.

A “Be on the lookout”, notification was sent out to local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies regarding the suspect and vehicle information. At approximately 9:30 am on Friday, the Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office located the 2024 Hyundai Elantra that was operated by Thompson, but the vehicle was unoccupied.

Shortly after, officers with the Kinston Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Thompson was the passenger. Thompson was taken into custody by Kinston Police Department without incident. A consent search of the vehicle was conducted, resulting in the seizure of a firearm.

Ruffin expressed his appreciation to the following agencies with their assistance: Kinston Police Department, Lenoir County Sheriff’s Office, Windsor Police Department, Martin County Sheriff’s Office, NC State Highway Patrol, Williamston Police Department, and the Bertie County Communications Center.