One woman was arrested and another sent to the hospital on Saturday, Oct. 30 in a case involving an assault on campus.
Debbie Arletha Long, 21 and listing a campus address, was apprehended by the WCU Police Department and transported to the Jackson County Detention Center (JCDC) at 5:56 p.m. following an altercation with another female student according to police reports. Long was charged on the scene with felonious restraint, aggravated assault with a vehicle, simple assault and unauthorized use of a vehicle—all misdemeanors. The aggravated assault with a vehicle charge was changed to a misdemeanor charge of assault with a deadly weapon at the JCDC.
Witnesses on the scene informed officers that Long and the other student were fighting outside near Albright and Harrill halls when Long jumped into the student’s vehicle. The student attempted to stop Long by jumping on the hood of her car but Long proceeded to drive and the student was thrown from the vehicle, landing on the pavement and suffering injuries. The student was transported to Harris Regional Hospital in Sylva with non-life threatening injuries.
Long’s first court appearance for the charges is Nov. 16.
