Rice Charged with Assault

The man accused of running his car into a group of Broughton High School students while driving drunk now faces a much more serious charge.

William Rice has been indicted on a charge of felony assault with a deadly weapon. That weapon, authorities say, was his automobile.

The Wake County District Attorney's office says Rice's actions, in the department's eyes, deserve a more serious charge than misdemeanor DWI. Rice has been charged with DWI four times over the past seven years, but was only convicted once.