Police arrest Brevard man on charges of making and transporting explosives

The explosives -- some which had been detonated, Police now say -- forced the evacuation of a church and the closure of several blocks of downtown on Sunday.

By Dan DeWitt

Brevard Police arrested a 64-year-old Brevard man Tuesday afternoon, accusing him of planting the explosives that two days earlier had forced the closure of downtown streets and the evacuation of the city’s First Baptist Church.

The man, Terry Lee Barham, faces charges including making, transporting and possessing a “weapon of mass destruction,” as well as three counts of terrorism.

The release did not explain the justification for the terrorism charge and did not offer any further description of what it called “incendiary devices.” The department did, however, add other information about the evidence found on Sunday. It had originally said officers had discovered several of the devices after a resident had reported what was believed to be an explosive and that there had been no detonations.

Police Chief John Phillip Harris Jr. told the Brevard City Council on Monday that what first appeared to be seperate devices were fragments that remained after explosions.

“Further investigation determined that all the additional devices had been detonated with superficial damage,” the release said. “One additional device was located at the American Legion Lodge. It had also detonated and left little damage.”

Both the intact device and the fragments have been sent to a crime lab for analysis, the release added. It also said additional evidence had been removed from Barham’s residence.

The device was found at the church on S. Gaston Street and the fragments at the nearby Transylvania County Community Services building as well as at the American Legion Post.

Barham is being held at the Transylvania County Jail in lieu of a $280,000 bail.

Police ask residents with information about the case to call Transylvania County Crime Stoppers at 828-862-7463.