Inmate used a plastic spoon as ‘deadly weapon’ during jail brawl, NC sheriff says

A plastic spoon was turned into a potentially deadly weapon in one of North Carolina’s jails, and the cuts were serious enough damage to send an inmate to the hospital, according to investigators.

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The attack happened Sunday at the Rockingham County Detention Facility, and led to inmate Dwaintez Andrea Hicks being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sept. 14 news release.

“The charges stem from an altercation Hicks had with another inmate. During this altercation a plastic spoon/fork was reported to have been used as a weapon and caused an injury,” the sheriff’s office said.

An arrest warrant reports Hicks announced: “I’m going to kill you,” then proceeded to inflict cuts to the victim’s neck and chest. He then “placed hands about the neck and choked until the victim almost lost consciousness,” the warrant says.

“The victim was taken to an area hospital where they were treated for their injury and later released back into custody,” the sheriff’s office says.

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The cause of the dispute was not released.

Hicks, 37, was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, felony assault by strangulation and misdemeanor simple assault, officials said. Hicks also has pending charges for drug trafficking, records show.

The Rockingham County Detention Center is in Reidsville, about a 94-mile drive northwest from downtown Raleigh.

This story was originally published September 15, 2026 at 5:02 AM with the headline “Inmate used a plastic spoon as ‘deadly weapon’ during jail brawl, NC sheriff says.”

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