Public Safety

Columbus County Sheriff’s Deputy Kenneth Aaron Smith has been charged after a Friday assault near Whiteville. Kenneth Aaron Smith, 33, was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond on a single count of assault with a deadly weapon, detention center records show. He was arrested at 9:11 p.m. Friday and released a short time later. The sheriff’s office released a brief statement Friday afternoon that an off-duty deputy had...

An off-duty Columbus County Sheriff’s Deputy was involved in an “incident” with a civilian this morning near Whiteville. Sheriff Bill Rogers said in a brief press release that the State Bureau of Investigation has been asked to handle the case. No details were released about the incident. Executive assistant Michele Tatum said no further information will be released at this time. Sources said the incident occurred south of...

A two-month-old baby suffered head trauma after her mother failed to seek medical care, according to warrants. Take’ya Mo’ney Williams, 22, of Sarah’s Avenue, Nakina and Longwood, is being held under $500,000 secured bond on charges of negligent and intentional child abuse resulting in serious injury. She was arrested Wednesday (May 22). Williams was also wanted for multiple counts of failure to appear in Brunswick County. The alleged...