A Tuesday morning breakfast rush turned into a scene of panic in Wilmington after a woman allegedly threatened bystanders with a machete in a local parking lot.
Around 7:50 a.m. on April 21, officers with the Wilmington Police Department were called to the Hardee’s located in the 2500 block of Carolina Beach Road. Reports indicated a woman was banging on windows and waving a large blade at people nearby.
When police arrived, they encountered 46-year-old Jessica Alise Johnson. Officers managed to de-escalate the confrontation and took her into custody without any injuries being reported.
According to arrest warrants, the situation turned violent when Johnson allegedly swung the machete toward a man and told him she would “chop his head off.” Investigators noted that Johnson remained on the restaurant property even after she was ordered to leave.
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When police moved in to make the arrest, she reportedly ignored commands, leading to additional charges for resisting the officers.
Johnson of Wilmington now faces a long list of misdemeanor charges. These include assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon, going armed to the terror of the public, communicating threats, second-degree trespass, and resisting a public officer.
Records show that a judge set Johnson’s bond at $25,000 on Wednesday and banned her from Hardees.
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