Waynesville Man Sentenced to Minimum of 5 Years in Prison for Bomb Threat

Haywood County -- August 8, 2025: This week, a Waynesville man entered a guilty plea to making a bomb threat last spring that compelled the Haywood County Justice Center to be evacuated, according to District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch.

Cody Blake Strickler, age 33, was sentenced by Superior Court Judge William Long to serve a minimum of five years active in the N.C. Division of Adult Corrections, with a maximum of seven years.
 
“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.” Strickler, 33, said when he called 911 dispatch on March 19. Authorities responded by ordering visitors and employees of the building office to leave right away, as well as those in the district and superior courts. Main Street was blocked off, as was the Justice Center.  In order to be sure there was no bomb, a handler with a K9 trained in explosive detection methodically swept the courthouse.  Once the building was deemed safe, court resumed.

Strickler received a habitual crime designation. This is North Carolina's version of three strikes and you're out. The designation acts as a sentencing enhancer.

WNCTimes

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