JOHNSTON COUNTY – A former Smithfield police officer has been arrested on felony assault charges.
Michael Alan Jernigan, age 41, of Whitley Road, Middlesex was charged Thursday morning with felony assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill and misdemeanor injury to property. The incident reportedly stemmed from a domestic incident with his girlfriend the day before.
The victim reportedly told Johnston County deputies that Jernigan was at her home on Richardson Road, Zebulon (a northern Johnston County address) Wednesday afternoon when they got into a verbal altercation over a wood sign.
The woman got into her car to leave. As she was driving away she heard a gunshot and the rear car window shatter. Jernigan is accused of firing a .45 caliber gun shattering the window. The victim was not struck by the bullet.
Deputies responded to the Richardson Road address but were unable to locate Jernigan. He was arrested several hours later without further incident.
Jernigan was released on a $50,000 unsecured bond. As a condition of his release, he is prohibited from contacting the victim and must stay away from her home, school, and place of employment. He was also ordered to submit his fingerprints and a DNA sample, which is standard procedure.
Michael Jernigan is a former Smithfield police officer and K-9 handler. He was named the Smithfield Police Department’s 2020 Officer of the Year. He left the Smithfield police force in 2021, according to town officials.
Domestic altercations can be so life changing in an instant. The most passionate and the most heated of any altercations. If you’re too toxic for each other the best thing for everyone including the children, is to separate. Now for this officer, he may never be a policeman again. Thank God that this isn’t a murder investigation.
Agreed! I think Saul Goodman is a wise man.
Bond should have been higher! Trying to shoot her?? Really!! Who’s to say he won’t do it again! Domestic Violence victims NEVER get their hair done rights they deserve. I really hope he doesn’t come after her.
Deport him!!!!
He is an us citizen. You can’t do that 😂😂😂
Unfortunately, being a US citizen does not matter anymore. The administration will deport anyone they want, AND I bet he has tattoos!!!
He is a white man, he belongs here.
Belongs is an insane statement to make. White people do not belong here. History tells you this. Conquering land doesn’t make it your own.
It sure did, conquered and owned. You are not my daddy, weird.
Unsecure bond? So he was able to sign himself out and leave on a IOU basically?
He hasn’t been a police officer in 4 years please 🙄
Wonder why?
So what happened to the domestic hold, just sent him right back out on bond.
Double Standard in full view of everyone.
Thin blue line gets a little thinner
I was shot at by a former Benson Police officer, The bullet landed one foot away from my head, I never reported it ,I got far far away from him and he left the state or
I would have reported it.
What was the officer’s name? Bet this didn’t happen…
Another rogue POS that probably ruined many of innocent lives with his tyrant behavior & b/s false accusations & statements against citizens.. Things need to seriously change all over & in all departments period !!
You are exactly cirrect. He falsified evudence in my case and lied in his incident report. He resuigned the moirning of my trial when I told my attorney that i could prove he lied and falsified the evidence.i demanded that a formal investigation begin and then my attorney said he had bern informed that he resigned that morning.
Hey my man… Maybe use a spell check or ask a third grader to check your work before posting this on the internet. You have officially erased all doubt for everyone.
If it was me that shot a window out they would have thrown the book at me
This monster was wondering around the streets of Smithfield with a badge and a gun just a few years back. Imagine how many other lunatics are parading around as heroes and the sheep are told to keep a blind eye to what is apparent because they protect and serve. Smh
I was about to write a decent and corrective response to you, but then I saw you call yourself “T Biden” and I knew that no amount of text would help you.
I was married to a gun toting lunatic that was a Sgt.on NCSHP. If he didn’t get his way when he demanded I was threatened with that 357! Finally after years of his mental manipulation I drove my car with him chasing me in his SHP car to his Lt. house ..layed on my horn until his Lt came outside and witnessed him holding his service revolver at my face. It was that moment that he was caught…..he lost his job and was fired from SHP only to be hired by Lexington NC Sheriff Dept. Now days he is a elementary school resource officer in Stokes Co NC. What’s the old saying about a zebra not losing its it’s stripes/colors???? .
So let me get this straight, so in Johnston Co now ” I ” can shoot someone’s windows out and ” I ” will just get a slap on hand and no jail time really no real bond? Wrong, ” I” would get a $5000000000 bond 20yrs in prison and after 20yrs would still be a felony not allowed to own or possess a fire arm. I’ll bet he still has his firearms today.
And another thing why is it not domestic felony assault attempted murder?
I bet Ackley hires him as a deputy, if Ackley beats Bizzell in the sheriff’s election.
Please don’t blame all Police Officers for the actions of one ex deranged cop. Most Police Officers are caring, hard working men and woman who run in when others are running out. Most Officers will put themselves in harm’s way to save your life. As for Michael Jernigan, even though he is no longer a Police Officer he still needs to be held to higher standards, and his bail is a joke. He should have been denied bail, after all he did try to kill this woman. The judge is the one who needs to put out to dry and I feel if something happens to this woman the judge needs to go to jail as well.
I got to be honest, some of you people just need to put your computer away and stop making comments on these articles… You are not educated enough or know enough about how bonds, police officers and the criminal justice system works… ALL OF YOU NEED TO STOP BEING SO HATEFUL AND MAKING HATEFUL COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE. YOU NEED TO PRAY FOR THESE MESSED UP SITUATIONS INSTEAD OF JUDGING AND SPEWING HATE.. ALL THE GOVERNMENT IS A JOKE SO QUIT MAKING IT OUT LIKE ONE IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER… THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON IN CHARGE AND GOD! #DOBETTER
What I want to know is that when cars drive themselves around and don’t make mistakes, what will the police do all day?
Sounds messed up to me. He got off easy peasy. What is going on in JC? I’m just glad he doesn’t work with an innocent K9 anymore. Hopefully never will again.