Sheriff Buchanan and CCSO Assist in Dynamite Removal

On 06/25/25 the owner of a recently purchased property, below Davis Loop in Hayesville, found a supply of aging dynamite that was being stored in an abandoned tractor trailer. This trailer had been concealed over many years by Kudzu vines and heavy brush.

Clay County Investigator Steven Smith, Lt. Tyler Faggard, Officer Brandon Coker, Sheriff Mark Buchanan, and Chief Joe Wood arrived to assess the situation. Explosive trained Agents with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms (BATF) were called to the scene. The dynamite was soaked in diesel fuel for stabilization, the trailer was locked back up, and the decision was made to dispose of it on the following day. The SBI and ATF Agents determined the dynamite was safe to secure as above described until the following morning.

On the morning of 06/26/25, the above Officers along with Clay County Emergency Medical Services and Clay County Fire & Rescue reassembled to remove the dynamite from the trailer and transport it to a remote location for disposal.

A nearby daycare, church, and residents were notified prior to the removal of the dynamite. The dynamite was safely transported to a remote pasture and burned without incident.