WINDSOR – In a strange twist of events, a man who called 9-1-1 here on New Year’s Eve actually ended up being the one charged with a crime.

Michael Wayne James, 41, of 122 New Hope Lane in Windsor, was arrested and charged just hours later with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

According to Detective Sergeant Ed Pittman with the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch received the call at 10:37 p.m. regarding an incident on Cooper Hill Road.

&uot;The caller (James) stated that he had caught someone in his house and had hit in him the head and the guy took off running,&uot; Pittman stated.

He continued, &uot;Deputies responded and it appeared there was no one around the residence, but the back door was kicked in.&uot;

Apparently, James had left the scene and went to the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office himself, while his alleged victim hid in the woods.

&uot;It ended up what had happened was the gentleman (James) and his wife had separated and he was no longer living there, but he came to her house and found this man in the house (the victim),&uot; Pittman explained.

He continued, &uot;The wife had invited a friend over, but had left the residence for a while and left him (the victim) there. James then came to the house and kicked in the back door and started beating on him with what we later found out to be a handgun.&uot;

According to the police report, at that point the victim ran out into the yard, but was struck again and the gun went off, so he ran into the woods to hide.

Upon further investigation, it was also determined that the victim’s cell phone had been used when James placed the 9-1-1 call and that there was an estimated $1200 missing from the victim’s pocket.

James was arrested with the original charge while at the BCSO, shortly after midnight on Jan. 1.

A felony robbery with a dangerous weapon charge was added on Jan. 15 after further investigations were concluded.

James is being held in the Bertie Martin Regional Jail under a $50,000 secured bond. His probable cause hearing is set for today (Thursday).