Airman is now in police custody
By John Joyce
Published in News on September 24, 2013 1:46 PM
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Jacob Hollingsworth
The airman arrested for allegedly attacking a female East Carolina University student with a pocketknife early Sunday is an airman first class attached to the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, a Seymour Johnson Air Force Base official said today.
Greenville police charged Jacob Hollingsworth, 23, of Westminster, S.C., with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury late Monday, a representative from the Pitt County Office of the Clerk of Courts said.
His secured bond is set at $200,000.
The U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations is assisting Greenville police in the investigation into the attack, which took place at 2:20 a.m. Sunday on the street outside 411 E. Fourth St.
Rachel Cooper, 21, of Greenville received several severe cuts to her upper body when Hollingsworth allegedly assaulted her without provocation, according to a press release from the Greenville police.
Passers-by who came to Ms. Cooper's aid disarmed Hollingsworth and knocked him unconscious.
Both Hollingsworth and Ms. Cooper were taken to Vidant Medical Center where she was treated and released. Hollingsworth remained hospitalized until late Monday when he was released into police custody.
Hollingsworth remains in the Pitt County Detention Center, said Sgt. Joe Friday of the Greenville Police Department.
Investigators do not believe the attacker knew the victim.
4th Fighter Wing Vice Commander Col. Evan Pettus released a statement addressing the arrest of the Seymour Johnson airman.
"We set high standards for our people and will not tolerate airmen who fall short of those standards," he said. "We are saddened by this incident and send our sympathies to the victim. We will provide whatever support we can to her and her family. Seymour Johnson Air Force Base has an outstanding relationship with the local community. We will continue to work jointly with local authorities to ensure appropriate actions are taken."