Man wanted in assault on trooper arrested

Snow Hill, N.C. — A man sought in a Monday assault on a state Highway Patrol trooper was arrested Tuesday afternoon in Snow Hill, authorities said.

Nathaniel Eugene Hope, 22, is charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, assault with a deadly weapon on a law enforcement officer, assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer, assault inflicting serious injury on a law enforcement officer, habitual assault, providing a fictitious name to law enforcement and resisting, obstructing or delaying law enforcement.

On Monday, Trooper B.R. Beamon stopped a vehicle on N.C. Highway 91 near Walstonburg to cite the driver for a child seat violation, and a passenger got out of the vehicle and began fighting with Beamon, authorities said. During the altercation, the man grabbed the trooper's stun gun and used it on him.

When Beamon fell to the ground after being stunned, the man assaulted him before fleeing into some nearby woods, authorities said.

The Highway Patrol and the Greene County Sheriff's Office searched the woods on the ground and from the air for hours on Monday.

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DOC shows that this guy's criminal history includes Robbery w/Dangerous Weapon, Assault Inflicting Serious Injury and Poss. Weapon by a Felon. As well, it shows that he is an absconder from parole. Hopefully, this criminal will be sent away for more than the 1 year and 4 months he pulled last time.

EGT

ernestgarrett
May 19, 2010 11:58 a.m.

notagain1903,

So a Trooper that gets assaulted and the suspect overpowers him/her is ignorant...How or better yet why would you make that statement? It was at least 2 against 1. And yes if a suspect if that is hard to understand a CRIMINAL starts to overpower me and use a leathal or non-leathal instrument on me I will defend myself up to and including deadly force. That is what we are suppose to do and will do so We can go home. Because one trooper was overpowered by multiple people does not make them ignorant or unable to do their job....I know you would not be able to do our job from what you said in your comment. RPD is exaclty right and you are the little woman or man for your thoughts.

didisaythat
May 18, 2010 5:38 p.m.

how ignorant people are of law enforcement. we are taught to escalate our use of force as we meet the offenders' force. use of force continuum. if someone attacks you with a stick/stun gun, you wont go "soft hands". someone uses a stun gun on me, we go to deadly force. no wyatt earp here, just a common sense professional.

TH
May 18, 2010 5:28 p.m.

notagain-

The Trooper not being able to arrest the thug is not a basis for killing him. The thug ASSAULTED the Trooper with a taser. A taser is incapacitating (meaning I have no control, so the suspect can take my gun and use it on me or the public). That, along with G.S. 15A-401(d)(2) means I can use deadly force.

If someone takes my pepper spray, they will not get shot because I can fight through it. But if you take (or try) to take my taser or gun then that is a deadly threat to ME and to the public (you know, the people I swore to protect) so that results in me doing what I need to do to go home to my family.

FYI, go take a look at G.S. 15A-401(d)(2) and maybe you will learn something.

RPD07
May 18, 2010 5:24 p.m.

nighttrain-

The "stun gun" is not deadly. However, the assault with the "stun gun" incapacitated the Trooper. I would be willing to bet that the thug then attempted to go after the Troopers gun during the ensuing assault. THAT would be where the assault with a deadly weapon came from. The thug was attempting to access the gun (deadly weapon) to use it on the Trooper.

RPD07
May 18, 2010 5:09 p.m.