An 18-year-old Fayetteville man is facing two felony charges after NC State University Police say he choked another man unconscious and knocked out several of his teeth during an attack on the Raleigh campus. Miles Zander Seppelt was arrested early Tuesday morning and booked into the Wake County jail on charges of assault by strangulation and assault causing serious bodily injury.
According to WRAL, the reported assault occurred Tuesday on the North Carolina State University campus in Raleigh. Warrants describe Seppelt placing the victim in a choke hold that left redness on the man's neck and caused him to lose consciousness, the outlet reports. The same warrants allege Seppelt also knocked out several of the victim's teeth during the encounter.
Seppelt was taken into custody by NC State Police officers early Wednesday morning and transported to the Wake County jail, per the station's report. He had a court appearance scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Wake County.
What the Felony Charges Actually Mean
The two charges against Seppelt carry different legal weight under North Carolina law. Assault inflicting physical injury by strangulation is classified as a Class H felony under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-32.4(b), carrying a maximum potential sentence of up to 39 months in prison, though the actual length of any active sentence would depend on a defendant's prior record level, according to Jetton & Meredith Law.
The second charge, assault inflicting serious bodily injury, is a more serious Class F felony under G.S. 14-32.4(a), defined by the North Carolina General Assembly as physical harm that creates a substantial risk of death, permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss of bodily function. Class F felonies carry stricter penalties than Class H felonies under state law. Notably, North Carolina court precedent sets a relatively low physical injury threshold for the strangulation charge specifically — minor visible harm such as neck redness, temporary bruising, or a sore throat can satisfy the statutory injury requirement, according to the Manning Law Firm, meaning prosecutors do not need to prove permanent neck trauma to pursue that count.
Booking and Court Timeline
Individuals arrested on felony charges in Wake County are typically processed through the Wake County Detention Center in Raleigh, where initial bond conditions are set before a formal first court appearance occurs within 96 hours, according to DeMent Askew. Initial magistrate hearings generally take place within 24 to 48 hours of booking. Seppelt's own court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, though the outcome of that hearing was not detailed in warrants reviewed by the station.
The Agency Behind the Arrest
NC State University Police is a sworn law enforcement agency accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, holding primary police jurisdiction across all university properties in Raleigh, per the department's own transparency materials. The agency coordinates with the Raleigh Police Department and the Wake County Sheriff's Office. Because NC State receives federal funding, it is also bound by the Jeanne Clery Act, which requires the university to publish daily crime logs within 24 hours of reported incidents and to issue annual reports detailing campus violent crimes.
This is not the first violent incident on NC State's campus this year that campus police have had to address. In April, NC State's Bragaw Hall rape report triggered a campus-wide WolfAlert after a reported sexual assault inside the residence hall on the university's west campus, prompting calls for increased dorm security. The following month, campus police investigated another reported sexual assault at the E.S. King Village student housing complex.
A Fayetteville Teen With a Public Record Before His Arrest
Before this week's arrest, Seppelt had built a modest public profile back home in Fayetteville. He competed as a student-athlete for Village Christian Academy, placing fifth in the 2A boys race at the North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association cross country state championships in October 2024, according to MileSplit North Carolina, and he was also named team captain during his high school cross country career. In February 2025, Seppelt was part of an eight-student mock trial team from Village Christian Academy that won a regional competition in Cumberland County — a round that featured 114 high school teams statewide — advancing to the state championship in Raleigh, per CityView NC.
Seppelt's relationship to the victim and his enrollment status at NC State were not detailed in warrants reviewed by WRAL. It also remains unclear what specifically prompted the altercation on campus Tuesday.
