Thomas Dewey Taylor Jr., 45, from Newland, was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for attempting to blow up the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games office with a homemade bomb. He pleaded guilty to several federal charges, including attempting to damage a building used in interstate commerce by fire and explosives, possession of an unregistered firearm, and making a destructive device.
In September 2021, Taylor placed a 48-quart cooler rigged with explosive materials and a hotplate set to the highest temperature in the Highland Games office. The cooler contained fuses, fireworks, ignitable fluids, rocks, and a PVC pipe bomb. If the main power had been switched on before the cooler was discovered, the hotplate would have ignited the fuses.
Taylor’s attorney cited prescription medications, COVID isolation, alcoholism, and legal substance misuse as contributing factors to his actions. Taylor’s family described him as intelligent and hard-working, with no previous signs of criminal behavior. His mother claimed he had a mental breakdown and informed management, who dispute this and state he was fired for poor job performance. They offered him a $5,000 settlement for counseling, which he declined. Taylor had worked for the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games since he was 14.
