A 49-year-old Columbus County woman is facing a stack of charges after deputies say she was drinking, picking fights with people at a home on Old Lumberton Road, and then turned on law enforcement when they tried to sort things out. Keira Ann Williams was booked on two counts each of assault on a government official and resisting a public officer, plus a charge of communicating threats, with bond set at $25,000.
Deputies were called to 2528 Old Lumberton Road around 3:45 p.m. on September 30 after someone reported a fight in progress, according to Columbus County News. Williams was allegedly drinking at the time and, per the report, was “picking fights with everyone” on scene before deputies ever arrived.
Standoff Escalates When Deputies Arrive
Rather than calming down once law enforcement showed up, Williams allegedly turned her attention to the deputies themselves, saying she did not know why anyone had even called 911. The outlet's account of the incident describes her resistance continuing well past that initial confrontation.
Arrest warrants cited in the report state that Williams kept fighting even after deputies had her detained. That detail is what ultimately led to the pair of assault and resisting charges stacked against her, since the alleged physical confrontation reportedly didn't stop when officers took her into custody.
Charges and Bond
Williams was charged with two counts each of assault on a government official and resisting a public officer, in addition to a count of communicating threats, the same report indicates. She was listed as homeless in the booking information cited by the outlet. Bond was set at $25,000.
Under North Carolina law, resisting a public officer is generally classified as a Class 2 misdemeanor, according to North Carolina General Statutes § 14-223, covering anyone who willfully and unlawfully resists, delays or obstructs an officer performing official duties. Communicating threats, meanwhile, is classified as a Class 1 misdemeanor under G.S. § 14-277.1 when a person makes a prohibited threat without lawful authority. A separate section of the state code, § 14-16.6, is titled “Assault on executive, legislative, court, or local elected officers,” though the available statutory excerpt does not detail its penalties.
No court docket, disposition or sentencing information was available at the time of the original report. Case records for the jurisdiction are handled through Columbus County's judicial branch office, though no filing details tied to Williams's case have been confirmed.
