Jacksonville Man, 45, Accused of Attacking Victim With Boiling Water, Spatula

A 45-year-old Jacksonville man is facing felony assault charges after police say he attacked another person with a pizza spatula, a pot of boiling water, and repeated punches. Nicholas Simms was arrested Monday and made his first court appearance the same day, more than two months after the alleged attack took place.

According to WCTI, Jacksonville police arrested Simms on Monday in connection with the alleged assault, which court records indicate occurred on June 11. Police say Simms punched the victim repeatedly in the head and body, and court records show he also used a pizza spatula and a pot of boiling water during the attack.

Simms is charged with assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, along with a separate charge of simple assault. Authorities described the pot of boiling water used in the attack as a deadly weapon, a classification that under North Carolina law does not require a traditional weapon like a firearm or knife. As Arnold & Smith PLLC explains, North Carolina courts can classify everyday household items — including boiling water — as deadly weapons depending on how they were used, the relative size and strength of the people involved, and the likelihood that the item could cause severe harm.

What the Felony Charge Could Mean for Simms

The felony charge against Simms, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, is classified as a Class E felony under North Carolina law. Per the Glover Law Firm, that charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 88 months in prison, with the exact term depending on the defendant's prior criminal record under the state's sentencing grid.

The additional simple assault charge is a lesser offense. According to the Manning Law Firm, simple assault is classified as a Class 2 misdemeanor in North Carolina, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of as much as $1,000. Notably, prosecutors are not required to prove permanent injury to sustain a felony charge; the Stowe Law Firm notes that any injury objectively severe enough to warrant medical attention can meet the statutory threshold, even if the victim did not ultimately seek emergency care.

Following his arrest, Simms was taken to the Onslow County jail. Defendants arrested in Jacksonville are booked and held at the Onslow County Detention Center at 717 Court Street, which is run by the Detention Division of the Onslow County Sheriff's Office. He received a $10,000 secured bond. Posting that bond in full, or paying a licensed bail bondsman a non-refundable fee of up to 15% under state-regulated rates, would be required for Simms to secure release ahead of trial.

A Regional Pattern of Boiling Water Attacks

Simms's case is not the first in the region to involve a scalding-water attack charged as a felony. In November 2025, law enforcement in Edenton arrested a man on the same felony charge — assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury — after he allegedly threw boiling water on a victim and caused major burn injuries, according to the Albemarle Observer, which reported the earlier case.

The charges against Simms also arrive against a backdrop of local violent crime data. A 2025 profile from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety found that aggravated assaults made up 76.9% of all violent crimes recorded in Onslow County in 2023, out of 381 total violent offenses that year, with the county's overall violent crime rate measured at 210 per 100,000 residents. Jacksonville, the largest city in the county with roughly 71,517 residents, serves as the commercial hub for nearby military installations including Camp Lejeune and MCAS New River, according to the same state profile.

Separately, an August 2026 estimate from DoorProfit put Jacksonville's annual violent crime risk at about 1 in 304 residents, roughly 14% below the national average. It remains unclear what relationship, if any, existed between Simms and the victim, and authorities have not publicly detailed why more than two months passed between the alleged June attack and Monday's arrest.