Hoke County man injured in clash with Family Dollar employee

A Hoke County man is recovering after he says a Family Dollar employee slashed him across the neck with a sharp object.

It happened Sunday at the store near the intersection of Raeford Road and Ireland Drive in Fayetteville.

Aaron Graham was told to leave the store by an employee, Jerome Pigford.

"And I asked him why I had to leave, and he said, ‘Well, I just need you to leave,’” Graham said.

“And there was really no reason at all for me to leave. I had money. I wasn't there to take anything. I wasn't there to cause any trouble."

According to the police report, video of the incident showed Graham being escorted out of the building by Pigford, an employee at the Family Dollar. Graham said he was cussing as he left.

In court documents, investigators say video shows Pigford reaching into his back pocket, striking Graham across the neck and placing the object back in his pocket as Graham falls to the ground bleeding at the neck.

Graham was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center by medics, where he underwent surgery to repair his wound.

“I could have died,” he said. “It could have been 10 times worse.”

According to the police report, Pigford admitted to the crime, though he said that he had nothing in his hand when he did so.

He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.