WILMINGTON — Earlier this week a state correctional officer struck two CFCC students while driving on the sidewalk before fleeing the scene.
According to the Wilmington Police Department (WPD), Lumberton resident Tameka Brown, 26, struck two male Cape Fear Community College (CFCC) students on Tuesday, Oct. 1, around 11 a.m. WPD confirmed Brown is a correctional officer at the state-run Tabor Correctional Institute, in Columbus County.
According to WPD, Brown was “attempting to find a parking space on N. 3rd Street so she could attend her nursing class at Cape Fear Community College when she became impatient and decided to drive down the sidewalk in hopes of finding an available space in a nearby lot. As she drove, she struck two male college students that were using the sidewalk, then fled the scene.”
According to WPD there were two victims: “James Benjamin, 18, had his foot run over by the vehicle. Gracin Pope, 20, was struck by the vehicle’s passenger-side mirror. Both were treated at [New Hanover Regional Medical Center].”
Brown’s car was located shortly afterward and WPD took Brown into custody as she returned from class (which she apparently attended after fleeing the scene). According to WPD she was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, hit and run, and driving on the sidewalk. Brown was released on an unsecured $5,000 bond (meaning no payment was required for her release).
