CANDLER, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office have arrested a man carrying a live grenade in his vehicle during a Candler breaking and entering attempt.

The suspect, Gregory Lee Pettit, 51, was arrested after a BCSO patrol responded just after midnight on Tuesday to a report of a breaking and entering on Needles Lane in Candler. Pettit attempted to evade deputies in a short vehicle pursuit before being taken into custody. When his car was searched, the grenade was found, confirmed by the Henderson County Bomb Squad to be live.

Pettit was charged with:

  • Possession of a weapon of mass destruction
  • Attempted first degree burglary
  • Driving while impaired
  • Failure to heed a light or siren
  • Reckless driving-wanton disregard
  • Speeding
  • Failure to stop at a stop sign/flashing red light
  • Injury to real property
  • Injury to personal property
  • Cruelty to animals
  • Resisting a public officer
  • Flee/elude arrest with motor vehicle

“Thank you to our Patrol Deputies for their swift response to the initial call for service and apprehending Mr. Pettit without incident. With the training and experience that our patrol deputies possess, they quickly realized that a WMD was in the vehicle and took precautionary and appropriate measures to ensure that the device was handled properly and without issue,” wrote BCSO District 2 Captain Elliot Summey in a press release.

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