Update: 2:43 p.m. This article has been updated with new information provided by Boiling Spring Lakes Police Chief Brad Shirley.
BOILING SPRING LAKES — A man who was accused of slashing a woman’s throat with a box cutter and kicking a man in the face, breaking his nose, had attempted murder and assault charges dropped after turning himself in.
Though the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department (BSLPD) initially believed Moore inflicted injuries on two victims, now, the department is attempting to identify the attacker.
RELATED: Multi-state counterfeiting ring discovered downtown, linked to over 78 cases on the east coast
David Leroy Moore II was the main suspect of the BSLPD yesterday, but new evidence has led to the withdrawal of the charges. Moore was however served with an outstanding warrant, unrelated to the violent incident.
“We are actively pursuing some other leads as to who the attacker or suspect is,” Chief of Police Brad Shirley said. “Last night we certainly had some information that really drew into question the original information that was given by multiple sources.”
The incident
According to a press release from the BSLPD Wednesday, Moore, allegedly slashed a woman’s throat with a boxcutter at approximately 3:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The victim was treated for non-life threatening injuries after being transported to New Hanover Regional Medical Center, according to a police release.
The incident occurred at a residence on Crabapple Road, where a second victim was later identified by the police department.
According to warrants for Moore’s arrest, he also allegedly broke a man’s nose after kicking the victim in the face.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office and the Oak Island Police Department assisted the Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department in responding to the initial incident.
Chief Shirley announced in a press release Wednesday that Moore had been charged with attempted murder and assault inflicting serious injury. Shirley said that Moore was armed, dangerous , not in police custody.
Moore in custody
Hours later, Moore turned himself in.
During Moore’s interview, investigators learned of another male witness to the incident. The witness was allegedly at the incident during the time of the assault.
After consulting with the District Attorney’s office, Boiling Spring Lakes Police Department decided to drop Moore’s attempted murder and assault charges.
Instead, Moore was charged with three counts of nonsupport of a child. Chief Shirley said these charges are unrelated to the stabbing incident from the night prior. Moore was later admitted to the Brunswick County Detention Center at 11:10 p.m.
It’s unclear what information was learned that prompted the department to drop Moore’s initial charges.
“We had interviews with people with the led us to believe that Mr. Moore was the suspect,” Shirley said. “We operated on that theory of belief up until the point we went to the magistrate’s office.”
According to Chief Shirley, Moore and the victim did not have a romantic relationship but were acquainted with one another. The victims’ injuries were not self-inflicted, Shirley said.
Still an ongoing investigation, BSLPD is verifying alibis and attempting to locate other individuals involved with the incident.
“Hopefully when we get this thing resolved there will be much more clarity to what happened over the last couple nights,” Shirley said. “We are working as hard as we can to make that happen.”
Send tips and comments to Johanna Ferebee at johanna@localvoicemedia.com
