Former Highland Games employee sentenced in federal court

U.S. District Judge Martin Reidinger sentenced Thomas Dewey Taylor Jr., 45, of Newland, to eight years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for manufacturing the device and related offenses, Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, announced last week.

Taylor previously pleaded guilty to attempting to damage and destroy a building used in interstate commerce with fire and explosives, possession of a weapon not registered under the National Firearms Act and manufacture a destructive device, according to a statement from King's office.

According to court records and the sentencing hearing, Taylor was a former employee of Grandfather Mountain Highland Games Inc. (GMHG), located in Linville. On September 27, 2021, Taylor disabled the GMHG office alarm system, turned off the main circuit breaker and hid a destructive device in a closet in the office, the release states.

The destructive device consisted of a 48 liter cooler containing fuses grouped together and attached to an electric burner hotplate. The fuses hit fireworks and containers of flammable liquids, the release said.

The hotplate was plugged into an extension cord, which in turn was plugged into an electrical outlet in the closet. Also inside the cooler were a glass pitcher containing rocks and a PVC pipe bomb, according to the release.

Court records show the destructive device was constructed in such a way that it would ignite as soon as someone turned on the main circuit breaker, causing an explosion designed to cause property damage, injury and death to those nearby, according to the communicated.

Taylor remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending placement by the Bureau of Prisons.

In making the announcement, King commended the ATF, NC SBI and the Avery County Sheriff's Office for their investigation of the case.

Assistant United States Attorney Alex M. Scott of the Asheville U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case.