Warrants reveal more details about alleged assault incident involving former Bladen County deputy

BLADEN COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Arrest warrants are revealing more details about the events that led up to an alleged assault incident involving a former Bladen County Sheriff’s Office deputy last month.

Earlier this week, Michael Hal Shaw II, 39, of Elizabethtown, was arrested following his indictment by a Bladen County grand jury on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury. Shaw resigned from the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office following his arrest.

According to the indictment, Shaw “unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did assault William Colt Cain with a large Mag-Lite anodized aluminum flashlight, a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury” during an incident on Oct. 8.

Prior arrest warrants state that Cain, 26, led Bladen County law enforcement on a high-speed chase that night. Shaw is listed as the arresting officer on four of the five arrest warrants associated with Cain.

RELATED: Bladen County deputy, facing charge of assaulting man with flashlight, resigns from sheriff’s office.

The chase began outside of Elizabethtown on U.S. 87 Bypass near Mercer Mill Road when Shaw tried to conduct a traffic stop on Cain, who was driving a 2014 Jeep Patriot, according to the warrants.

Warrants state that during the chase, Cain drove through downtown Elizabethtown, hitting speeds of 80 miles per hour in a 20 mile per hour zone on Broad Street, and forced Shaw off the roadway multiple times.

At one point, Cain is alleged to have tossed a metal container out the driver-side window.

Cain was eventually taken into custody by law enforcement. It’s still unclear when the alleged assault occurred during the Oct. 8 encounter. According to warrants, Cain was charged with:

• Assault with a deadly weapon on government official
• Trafficking in opium/heroin
• Possession of heroin
• Maintaining a vehicle for a controlled substance
• Fleeing to elude arrest
• Possession of drug paraphernalia
• Speeding
• Failure to stop at stop sign/flashing red light
• Failure to stop for red light
• Driving left of center
• Driving with a revoked license
• Alter/steal/destroy criminal evidence
• Littering

The warrants state that Cain made an initial court appearance on these charges on Oct. 11.

Back in March, Cain was arrested on multiple drug-related charges following a traffic stop on U.S. 87 near Bladen Union Church Road. Bladen County deputies confiscated unspecified amounts of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin during the bust.

Cain was booked in the Bladen County Jail under a $300,000 bond following the March 11 arrest.

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