The detonation of a homemade explosive in northern Sampson County back in July sent two N.C. State Bureau of Investigation agents to the hospital with severe burn injuries and resulted in the arrest of a Plain View resident after the home was found to contain a number of the devices.

SBI Special Agent Brian Joy and SBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Timothy Luper were called in to assist Sampson County Sheriff’s authorities, who found a man in possession of homemade bombs and related materials during a traffic stop for speeding on July 25.

Evidence led sheriff’s authorities and the SBI to Jimmy Tyndall’s residence on JV Farm Lane, Dunn, where more homemade explosives and “explosive-making materials” were discovered and had to be cleared — a process that went in the night and into the next day. In the early-morning hours on July 26, as the agents worked to dispose of the materials, one of the devices detonated. It was an explosion that local emergency personnel said was straight out of a movie.

Joy and Luper were transported to the North Carolina Jaycee Burn Center in Chapel Hill, Luper with second-degree burns and a dislocated shoulder, Joy with third degree burns. Both subsequently underwent surgeries.

Luper was released in early August. Joy was discharged in early September from the center, where he was in critical condition for weeks after conducting the “render safe” mission of bomb-making materials at JV Farm Lane, Dunn.

Last week, SBI officials, including the two agents and SBI director Bob Schurmeier, recognized certain members of the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office, Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Management, and the Spivey’s Corner Fire Department for their professionalism, bravery, and emergency response displayed during the July 26 bomb explosion event.

The SBI agents and director expressed their extreme appreciation of the response and care provided during the event.

Luper had multiple surgeries on his shoulder. He was discharged from the hospital on Aug. 3 — almost exactly a month before Joy — to continue recovering at home with his family.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said two homemade explosives were found in Tyndall’s car, and three were later found in his house. The SBI agents were called in to neutralize the devices in the car while the road was closed and nearby houses evacuated. That stop occurred just before 2 p.m. July 25 on U.S. 421, near U.S. 13.

Thornton said the explosion happened as the agents were gathering explosive materials into a pile for disposal and a spark ignited one of the chemicals.

Tyndall was charged with three counts of possession of a weapon of mass destruction, misdemeanor larceny, speeding, possession of methamphetamines and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Through the establishment of a GoFundMe page, the community ultimately raised close to $35,000 in just five days to aid the agents and their families before the page was closed to donations. The fundraising page was set up to assist families with the expenses of travel, meals and lodging. Others held similar fundraising events to help the agents in the weeks that followed.

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Director, agents recognize response to bomb incident

Staff reports