A 38-year-old New Bern man will spend 30 to 48 months in state prison after pleading guilty to firing at Onslow County deputies during a 2024 confrontation in Hubert — a case that later spiraled into a jailhouse escape through a ventilation shaft and a 16-day manhunt across eastern North Carolina.
John Matthew Nigh pleaded guilty Friday to three felony counts of assault on a law enforcement officer with a firearm and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to the Onslow County Sheriff's Office, as reported by WCTI. The plea and sentence close out a case that began on June 29, 2024, when Onslow County deputies responded to the Hubert area after receiving information from the Pamlico County Sheriff's Office that Nigh was wanted on multiple felony charges.
Deputies found Nigh at a home, and he ran into a wooded area before firing two rounds from a small-caliber handgun at three Onslow County deputies, per the same report. None of the deputies were struck by gunfire. Nigh was treated for minor injuries at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune before being taken into custody and transported to the Onslow County Detention Center.
From Attempted Murder Charges to a Reduced Plea
Nigh was initially charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer by pointing a firearm, shooting within 500 feet of a dwelling, resisting an officer, and possession of a firearm by a felon, the station's report notes. Those charges were ultimately resolved through Friday's guilty plea to the lesser assault-with-a-firearm counts and the firearm possession charge.
Before the June 2024 confrontation, Pamlico County Sheriff's Office records relayed by The County Compass show Nigh was wanted on active warrants for felony breaking and entering of a motor vehicle, felony larceny, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle — the underlying warrants that first put deputies on his trail in Hubert. Under North Carolina General Statute § 14-34.5(a), an assault with a firearm upon a law enforcement officer in the performance of official duties is classified as a Class D felony, according to FindLaw.
A Jailhouse Escape Through the Ceiling
Nigh's case took a dramatic turn while he awaited trial. Following his June 2024 arrest, he was initially held at the Onslow County Detention Center on a $5 million bond before being transferred in December 2024 to the Craven County Detention Center in New Bern, according to CBS News.
On January 26, 2025, Nigh escaped from the Craven County Detention Center by removing a ceiling grate, crawling into a utility chase, and exiting through rooftop ventilation housing, CBS News reported, while his cellmates stuffed his mattress to disguise his absence. Craven County Sheriff's Office statements relayed by that outlet warned the public during the manhunt that Nigh had a documented history of being armed during prior law enforcement encounters.
Prosecutors charged two of Nigh's Craven County jail cellmates, Justin Matthew Axe and Timothy Lee Carawan, with felony aiding and abetting escape and conspiracy for helping him execute the jailbreak, according to New Bern Now. Official BOLO notices issued by law enforcement in January 2025 described Nigh as 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, with identifying tattoos including “JMN” on his upper left arm and a cross on his upper right arm, per that outlet.
Sixteen Days on the Run, Then Recapture
Following a 16-day multi-agency manhunt, Pamlico County deputies captured Nigh on February 11, 2025 in an outbuilding on his fiancée's property, New Bern Now reported. His fiancée, Cameran Laughinghouse, was arrested on charges of harboring a fugitive and obstruction of justice in connection with his time evading capture.
After his recapture, Nigh was placed in solitary confinement on a $1 million bond while Craven County jail authorities launched an internal review into the facility's structural integrity, the outlet noted. Court and police records summarized by Wikipedia in February 2025 indicated Nigh faced concurrent criminal charges across three eastern North Carolina jurisdictions — Craven, Onslow, and Pamlico counties — reflecting the regional scope of his legal troubles before Friday's sentencing brought the case to a close.
