Click Here

Wake County Social Worker Assaulted on the Job

Jerrica Culbreth

Wake County Human Services is evaluating its security practices following an attack on a social worker at its offices on Tuesday.

According to an arrest warrant, Jerrica Newchta Culbreth, 28, of 308 E. Main St. in Garner, punched the female worker "repeatedly about her face and body" and kicked her repeatedly, causing serious bodily injury.

The victim, Eleanor Lee, 41, was taken to Rex Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition late Tuesday afternoon.

The assault occurred at the Human Services offices at 220 Swinburne St. around noon. Three security guards were on duty at the time, but the five-story building has no security checkpoints or metal detectors.

"Anybody can walk in our building and walk on any floor," said Joan Peebles, who works there. "That's a concern."

After the assault, employees said they received a voicemail from their supervisors, assuring them the county is looking at ways to improve security.

A spokesman for the county confirmed officials are evaluating their security procedures in light of the incident.

Culbreth, who officials said was a client, was arrested and charged with felony assault inflicting serious injuries.

He was in jail Tuesday afternoon under a $25,000 secured bond and was expected to appear in Wake County District Court Wednesday morning.



60 Comments


Golo

Welcome to GOLO, where WRAL.com visitors can comment on stories and create profile pages, blogs and photo galleries.

You must be a registered WRAL.com user to use these tools. Click here to register or log in.

View Comments View Comments

Photo Spotlight
*
*
*
*
*
*
[+] more photos | submit your photos
Report It
Send us your news photos, videos, tips and story ideas.
Submit Videos Submit Photos Submit Reports
  1. County Unemployment Rates
    North Carolina jobless rates

    View an interactive map with county unemployment numbers.

  2. Drought Map
    A year of N.C. Drought Maps

    View a time lapse animation of drought conditions during the last year.

  3. Twitter
    Follow WRAL News on Twitter

    Keep up with what the WRAL News team is doing on air and online with Twitter.

  4. taxes
    Search for missing IRS refunds

    The Internal Revenue Service released the names this week of more than 100,000 taxpayers who have not received their 2009 income tax refund.

  5. Gov. Mike Easley
    Easley investigation timeline

    View an interactive timeline of the Easley investigation.

Click Here