WAYNESVILLE
Man guilty in bomb threat
District Attorney Ashley Welch announced that a Waynesville man pleaded guilty last week to calling in a bomb threat last spring that forced authorities to evacuate Haywood County Justice Center.
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Superior Court Judge William Long sentenced Cody Blake Strickler, 33, to serve a minimum of five years active, up to a maximum of seven years, in N.C. Division of Adult Corrections.
Strickler, 33, called 911 dispatch on March 19, saying, “The emergency is
at the courthouse, the new one, there’s a bomb, C4, sausage links on detonators remote switches, you need to evacuate the courthouse now.”
In response, authorities asked that people in both superior and district courts, as well as building office workers and visitors, leave immediately.
enter and Main Street were cordoned off. A handler with a K9 trained in explosive detection systematically swept the courthouse to ensure there was no bomb.
Court resumed after the building was cleared as safe.
Strickler also was designated as a habitual felon.
MURPHY
A citizen’s auxiliary?
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, at the sheriff’s office to measure community interest in forming a citizen’s auxiliary unit.
The goal for this unit is to be support for the sheriff’s office, regardless of who the elected sheriff is, according to a release. The unit will form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency, establish an internal governance board and serve solely in a volunteer capacity, with no law enforcement powers nor authority.
The sheriff’s office will provide a liaison to work with the auxiliary in order to help advance the common goals of the organizations and promote shared values.
MURPHY
Blood drive at sheriff’s office
A Blood Assurance drive will be held from noon-4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22, at the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, 577 Regal St.
All donors will receive a $20 eGift card. Schedule your donation at bloodassurance.org/cherokeecsd22.
RALEIGH
Report: Make DMV its own
The N.C. Office of the State Auditor has released two audits of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles. The reports – including a performance audit and information systems audit – were conducted to examine the operational challenges affecting the most forward-facing agency in state government.
“I pledged to audit the DMV to get to the root cause of its failure, and the reports dealing with licensing procedures and information systems are now complete,” state auditor Dave Boliek said in a release.
OSA’s performance audit shows the DMV experience for both customers and employees has gotten worse over the years, and that the relationship between the DMV and N.C. Department of Transportation is a contributing factor.
Average DMV wait times stand at 1 hour and 15 minutes, up 15.5% since 2019.
Data shows nearly 14% of visits exceeded 2.5 hours in fiscal year 2025, up about 79% since 2019.
HANGING DOG
Coffee with cop coming
The next Coffee With a Cop will be held from 8-10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Hanging Dog General Store, 2345 Hanging Dog Road.
Everyone is invited to join their neighbors and local law enforcement officers for coffee and conversation. You’re welcome to ask questions and voice concerns.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.