Explosives found near church in mountain tourist town lead to arrest, NC police say
.jpg "Police have arrested a man after they say several incendiary devices were found in Brevard, North Carolina, this week.")
Police have arrested a man they say is connected to the explosive devices found near a church in Western North Carolina earlier this week.
Officers were called to First Baptist Church of Brevard around 10:30 a.m. Sunday about a “suspected incendiary device” on church grounds, according to a news release from the Brevard Police Department. Church staff pointed officers to the device, which they say had not been detonated.
Police evacuated local businesses as a precaution and cordoned off the area.
Brevard, about 145 miles west of Charlotte near Pisgah National Forest, is a popular tourist destination in the mountains of North Carolina. It touts an active arts scene and access to outdoor recreation, including hiking trails.
A search turned up several other explosive devices at the Transylvania County Community Services building and another at the American Legion Lodge, police say.
The additional devices had been detonated but left little damage, police say. Officers collected the devices and sent them for “scientific analysis.”
Now, police say they’ve arrested 64-year-old Terry Lee Barham of Brevard after investigating the incident along with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the N.C State Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Police say they found “material used to make incendiary devices” when searching Barham’s home.
Barham was arrested on charges of “possession of weapon of mass destruction, transportation of a weapon of mass destruction, malicious damage to a government building, attempted malicious damage to a government building, attempted malicious damage to a church, attempted malicious damage to an occupied building and three counts of terrorism,” police say.
He was taken to the Transylvania County jail, where his bond “was set at $280,000 secured,” the release says.
Officials are still investigating the incident, and anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 828-862-7463 or the Brevard Police Department at 828-883-2212.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Explosives found near church in mountain tourist town lead to arrest, NC police say."
