Detective Kyle Gibson with the McDowell County Sheriff’s Office charged 52-year-old Joe Cooper of Marion with (3 counts) felony Possession of a Weapon of Mass Destruction; felony Possession of a Firearm by Felon; misdemeanor Resisting a Public Officer; and misdemeanor Assaulting a Government Official. He was given a secured bond of $175,000.
On Saturday, November 29, Deputy Dvorak was conducting a property check at a Marion residence when he noticed several monofilament strands stretched across the road in front of his residence. Deputy Dvorak found that the monofilament was connected to a device that was pointed toward the road.
An investigation by MCSO, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation and the ATF determined it to be a destructive explosive device.
