Aberdeen Woman Asks Driver to Slow Down, Ends Up With Broken Jaw, Police Say

A confrontation over a speeding car in an Aberdeen neighborhood in June left a woman with a broken jaw that required surgery, and police say the 18-year-old driver now faces a felony charge after fleeing the scene. Frederick Ike Cooper was initially booked on misdemeanor counts, but investigators say the severity of the woman's injuries prompted prosecutors to escalate the case dramatically.

According to the Charlotte Observer, the woman lives near the intersection of Poplar Street and Peach Avenue in Aberdeen, a town about 70 miles southwest of downtown Raleigh. Per investigators, she confronted Cooper over driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed through the neighborhood and told him to stop driving so fast. Police say Cooper responded by punching her in the face with a closed fist, then fled the scene, leaving her bleeding from the mouth with visible injuries.

The woman sustained a broken mandible and later underwent surgery to reset her jaw, a procedure that included the permanent placement of a metal plate and screws, according to Sandhills Sentinel. The outlet reports that police investigation details revealed the fracture required this reconstructive surgery to repair.

Charges Escalate as Injuries Come Into Focus

Cooper was first arrested on June 23 under a $2,500 secured bond for misdemeanor assault on a female, the Sandhills Sentinel reports. He received an additional $2,500 secured bond on July 13 for misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury, bringing his initial bonds to $5,000 combined before the case took its more serious turn.

On August 19, Aberdeen police said the charge was upgraded to felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury. The station's report notes the upgrade followed consultation between the Aberdeen Police Department and the Moore County District Attorney's Office, which determined the victim's injuries were especially extensive, per police.

Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-33(c)(2), assault on a female is classified as a Class A1 misdemeanor — the state's most severe misdemeanor category — applying specifically when an adult male age 18 or older assaults a female, according to the Glover Law Firm. That charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 150 days in jail, per Randall Law.

What the Felony Upgrade Means

The new felony charge is a different matter entirely. Assault inflicting serious bodily injury is classified as a Class F felony under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-32.4, carrying a maximum penalty of up to 59 months in state prison, according to FindLaw.

State law defines serious bodily injury as physical harm that creates a substantial risk of death or causes serious permanent disfigurement, extreme pain, or protracted impairment of any bodily function or organ, per the Manning Law Firm's reading of the statute. A fracture requiring surgical hardware to reconstruct a jaw is the kind of injury that can meet that threshold, which is why prosecutors reviewed the woman's medical records before pursuing the upgraded charge.

Cooper's Earlier Brush With Felony Charges

This is not the teenager's first appearance in Moore County court records. In March, Cooper was arrested in Aberdeen and charged with multiple felony counts, including embezzlement, larceny by employee, and obtaining property by false pretense, tied to an alleged credit card tip scheme at a local Domino's Pizza, the Sandhills Sentinel reported at the time. Those charges came roughly five months before the assault charge was upgraded to a felony.

All charges against Cooper remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. The Sandhills Sentinel notes he faces both misdemeanor and felony counts stemming from the June incident.

A Neighborhood Already Watching Traffic

Speeding on residential streets near the site of this confrontation has drawn police attention before. Aberdeen police have previously conducted active speed enforcement in the Poplar Street and Peach Avenue area, including a chase in June where a speeding suspect crashed into a mailbox while fleeing officers, according to the Sandhills Sentinel's earlier reporting. That prior incident underscores that residential speeding has been an active law enforcement concern in the neighborhood well before this latest case.

Cooper's bond status on the new felony charge and his next court date in Moore County have not been detailed in available reporting.