A 33-year-old Kinston man is being held without bond after Greenville police say he strangled a woman with both hands, hit her in the face, and confined her against her will on Labor Day. Larry Jones now faces second-degree kidnapping, felony assault by strangulation, assault on a female, and a misdemeanor domestic violence charge stemming from the incident.
According to warrants cited by WITN, Jones strangled the victim with both hands around her neck and hit her in the face, leaving her with an injury to her bottom lip. The warrants also allege that Jones confined and restrained the victim during the encounter, which Greenville police say occurred on Labor Day. Jones and the victim share a child together, according to the warrants.
Why He's Being Held Without Bond
Jones was jailed without bond immediately after his arrest, a step tied directly to North Carolina's so-called 48-Hour Rule. Under North Carolina General Statute § 15A-534.1, people arrested on domestic violence charges cannot have their initial bail conditions set by a magistrate; instead, a district court judge must review the case and set pretrial release terms within 48 hours. The law requires that judge to weigh Jones's criminal record and any safety threats before deciding whether — and under what conditions — he can be released.
The severity of the strangulation allegation is part of what elevates this case. Physical injury by strangulation was designated its own distinct felony in North Carolina specifically to reflect its high potential for severe injury or death, and under N.C.G.S. § 14-32.4, assault by strangulation is a Class H felony carrying a potential sentence of four to 25 months in state prison depending on a defendant's prior record. Clinical threat assessment research published by the National Institutes of Health has found that a victim of non-fatal strangulation by an intimate partner is 750 percent more likely to later become a victim of attempted or completed intimate partner homicide, according to a study hosted on PMC — a factor experts say helps explain why courts and police treat strangulation allegations with particular urgency in domestic cases.
What the Kidnapping Charge Signals
Jones's second-degree kidnapping charge is a Class E felony punishable by up to 88 months in prison, applicable when a victim is unlawfully confined or restrained for the purpose of terrorizing or causing bodily harm but is ultimately released in a safe place without serious injury or sexual assault, per the Manning Law Firm. First-degree kidnapping, a more serious Class C felony, would have required proof that the victim suffered serious bodily harm, was sexually assaulted, or was not released somewhere safe — none of which is alleged in Jones's warrants.
The assault on a female charge against Jones is a separate matter from the strangulation felony. Under N.C.G.S. § 14-33(c)(2), assault on a female committed by a male at least 18 years old is a Class A1 misdemeanor — the highest misdemeanor classification available in North Carolina — carrying a maximum sentence of up to 150 days in jail along with potential court-ordered treatment programs, according to the Fanney Law Office. North Carolina courts frequently impose specialized pretrial conditions in domestic violence cases involving shared children, including electronic monitoring and strict no-contact orders, the same source notes.
A Pattern of Violence in Pitt County
Jones's arrest is the latest in a string of domestic violence cases coming out of Greenville and Pitt County in recent weeks, several of which Hoodline has covered — including a box cutter assault case and separate incidents involving strangulation, dragging, and a break-in despite an active protective order. The pattern tracks with local crime data: the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's 2025 Pitt County Violence Profile found the county's violent crime rate reached 381 per 100,000 residents in 2023, exceeding the statewide average of 312, with aggravated assaults accounting for 76.8 percent of all violent crimes in the county.
Statewide, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence has recorded between 63 and 86 intimate partner homicides annually across the state during its multi-year monitoring cycles. Victims in Greenville and Pitt County have access to emergency shelter, advocacy, and legal services through the Center for Family Violence Prevention, which serves survivors across Pitt, Martin, and Washington counties. The Pitt County Sheriff's Office also staffs certified victim advocates trained through the North Carolina Victim Service Practitioner Academy, who help survivors with safety planning, navigating court proceedings, and pursuing Domestic Violence Protective Orders.
All facts in this case stem from arrest warrants, and the allegations against Jones remain unproven in court until adjudicated.
