North Carolina man arrested with explosives in grocery store parking lot
Cameron Lee Smith (Credit: Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office)
WASHINGTON, N.C. - A North Carolina man has been arrested after authorities said he arrived at a grocery store parking lot with explosives in his vehicle.
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office said 40-year-old Cameron Lee Smith is charged with possession of weapons of mass destruction, possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a concealed handgun.
Deputies said on January 10, an investigator found Smith slumped over inside the vehicle in the parking lot of a local Food Lion in Washington, North Carolina.
While checking on him, the investigator found drug paraphernalia in plain view. A weapon, crystal methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia were also discovered.
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During the search of the vehicle, deputies located what appeared to be possible explosives inside the vehicle.
According to WITN, deputies collected over 50 pieces of evidence at the home that are linked to pipe bombs and improvised explosive devices at this home. The sheriff also told the outlet they found a military-style homemade grenade in the man’s SUV.
The sheriff said he doesn't think there's a threat to the community and isn't sure if Smith is a hobbyist or a radical, but maybe a "prepper."
"There’s people that believe that government would come in and interfere their way of life, and this is the way they act out to protect themselves," the sheriff told the outlet. "They have these formulated theories, and they take that proactive in their mind that they are going to defend what’s theirs."
This story was reported from Los Angeles.