Cerro Gordo Man Held Without Bond After Choking Woman With Extension Cord

A 27-year-old Cerro Gordo man is being held without bond after deputies say he strangled a woman unconscious with an extension cord, took her phone, and threatened to get a gun and shoot her, all allegedly in front of a minor child. Jonathan Grooms, who lives at 562 Cheery Grove Road, was booked into the county detention center around 3 a.m. on Sunday following the alleged incident a day earlier.

According to Columbus County News, Grooms allegedly choked a woman he knows with his hands and then with an extension cord, causing her to pass out. The outlet reports he also drove through a ditch during the encounter and took the woman's telephone. Grooms is said to have told the victim he was going to get a gun and shoot her, according to the same report.

The alleged assault occurred in the presence of a minor child, per the outlet's account. Grooms now faces a lengthy list of charges: assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, common law robbery, assault by strangulation, communicating threats, misdemeanor child abuse, and domestic violence.

Why He's Being Held Without Bond

Grooms was booked with no bond set, a status that traces directly to North Carolina's domestic violence procedures. Under North Carolina General Statute § 15A-534.1, defendants arrested for domestic violence crimes — including felony assault or communicating threats against an intimate partner — must be held without bond for up to 48 hours until a District Court judge sets release conditions, according to the UNC School of Government. The statute strips magistrates of bail authority in these cases, reserving that decision for a judge rather than allowing quick release at booking.

It remains an open question whether a District Court judge will ultimately set a secured bond for Grooms or order him held further once that 48-hour window lapses. Similar holds have played out elsewhere in North Carolina this year; Hoodline reported in April on a Wake County case in which a man was held without bond after being charged with felony assault by strangulation and violating his pretrial release conditions.

The Felonies Grooms Is Facing

The strangulation charge alone carries significant weight under state law. Assault by strangulation is classified as a Class H felony under G.S. 14-32.4(b), carrying a maximum sentence of up to 39 months in prison, according to Jetton & Meredith Law. State law requires proof of physical injury, though courts have set a low threshold where temporary redness or soreness can satisfy that requirement.

Allegations that Grooms threatened to get a gun and shoot the victim support the more serious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill charge, which under North Carolina General Statute § 14-32(c) is a Class E felony when no serious injury results, per Randall Law. That classification carries mandatory active prison time considerations given its status as a violent felony.

The common law robbery charge stems from the allegation that Grooms took the woman's phone during the assault. Under G.S. 14-87.1, taking personal property from another through violence or intimidation without a firearm is a Class G felony punishable by up to 47 months in prison, according to codes compiled by FindLaw. Forcibly depriving a victim of a communication device during a domestic dispute can elevate what might otherwise be simple theft into a robbery charge.

A Statewide Push to Toughen Strangulation Laws

Non-fatal strangulation is considered one of the most critical risk indicators in domestic abuse cases. Research compiled by legal and public safety institutions shows it increases a victim's likelihood of being killed by an abusive partner by 700%, per Jetton & Meredith Law, which is why law enforcement and courts tend to treat cases involving choking with such urgency.

State lawmakers are already moving to close gaps in the strangulation statute. North Carolina House Bill 308, enacted in June, increases penalties for domestic strangulation by making assault by strangulation causing physical injury a Class G felony and establishing strangulation without injury as a Class H felony, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. That change takes effect December 1, so it postdates the incident involving Grooms.

The push for reform follows complaints from prosecutors across the state about how hard the current law can be to enforce. Hoodline reported in April that Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather had publicly called for legislative reform of the felony strangulation statute after juries declined to convict on felony charges due to strict evidentiary interpretations of physical injury.

A Small, Rural Community

Cerro Gordo, where the alleged incident occurred on Cheery Grove Road, is a small agricultural municipality in western Columbus County incorporated in 1874, with a population of 131 residents as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Grooms was transported to the Columbus County Detention Center in Whiteville, roughly 15 miles east of Cerro Gordo, where the sheriff's office processes arrests from across the rural county.

The case was reported by Jefferson Weaver, editor and publisher of Columbus County News, whose original article ran in the outlet's public safety section.