A member of Marketplace Church was urged by the pastor to discontinue attending services due to his dangerous behavior. After a period of time, the suspect allegedly left two bombs inside the place of worship.
Two Bombs Dropped at Marketplace Church
A report from WSOC-TV stated that on Sunday, May 7, Joshua Hawley, 37, allegedly took two pipe bombs to Marketplace Church at around 3 p.m. The church is located on Highway 127 south of Hickory in Catawba County and before the authorities could arrive, he fled the scene.
In addition to FBI agents, bomb disposal teams from Gastonia and Gaston County were also dispatched to the scene. After that, a robot was utilized to conduct an investigation of a vehicle that was parked in front of the church. According to the evidence presented in court, the device was retrieved from the trunk. The church was cleared out after a second bomb was discovered inside.
As mentioned, the bomb teams neutralized both devices, making them safe to use. On Monday, May 8, Chopper 9 Skyzoom was flying above as law enforcement officers outfitted in tactical gear moved in on the residence in southern Burke County where Hawley was living. When he was taken into custody by authorities from both the local and federal levels, it looked like he had a bandage tied around one of his hands.
Based on the paperwork filed in the case, Hawley is suspected of bringing both of the pipe bombs into the church, one intended for the congregation's treasurer and the other for the pastor. He reportedly shared this information with a church official on Sunday, saying that he had been constructing bombs and "working on getting the formula right." The suspect also expressed a desire for both the church official and the pastor to have one of the bombs.
Moreover, Dave Faherty of Channel 9 discovered Hawley attended Marketplace Church. The church pastor urged Hawley to leave four months earlier, calling him "dangerous." The search warrant mentioned that Josh arrived at church with a body camera, a gun, knives, and other tactical gear, according to the search warrant.
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Charges Against Joshua Hawley
As per Yahoo News, Hawley is charged with possessing weapons of destructive power and transmitting the dangers of a terrorist attack at a place of worship. Both of these charges carry the maximum sentence of life in prison. The sheriff of Catawba County stated that he takes threats of this nature very seriously. Sheriff Don Brown said in a setting such as that, they have no reason to fear being threatened with physical harm or to experience feelings of intimidation. Given the history of similar incidents around the nation, people can rest assured that they are treating this matter very seriously. "I think that in a house of worship, that's where people should feel safe," he added.
On Tuesday, May 9, prosecutors told the judge that the residence where Hawley was arrested was a member of Hawley's family and that there were children living there. They claimed that when law enforcement personnel searched it, they discovered a considerable quantity of bomb-making material as well as actual bombs. On the other hand, Hickory Record reported that Hawley's bond is set at $150,000. Rockett stated that the charge of transmitting an imminent danger in a church did not have a bond imposed by a magistrate. The amount of the secured bond that Judge Elliott required for this case was $50,000.
According to Elliott, the greatest amount of time that might be spent in prison for Hawley's conviction is somewhere around eight years. Hawley put in a request with the court to have an attorney designated to represent him. Adam Everett was brought on as a defense attorney by Elliott's appointment. Furthermore, on May 30, there will be a hearing to determine whether probable cause exists. Hawley is presumed to be innocent until and unless a guilty verdict is rendered by a judge or jury.
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