Highlands downtown locked down by ‘swatting’ incident
What began as a clear, chilly, ordinary December day in Highlands changed dramatically late in the morning. On Dec. 11 at 10:40 a.m., the Highlands Police Department (HPD) received a call making a direct threat against staff members of the Church of the Incarnation at the corner of Main St. and 5th St. Adding to the concern is that the Highlands Community Child Development Center (HCCDC) has a campus for its 3-5-year-olds at the church.
HPD officers responded immediately and conducted a thorough sweep of the church’s interior to ensure everyone was safe. “Once we deemed the inside was safe, we surrounded the area and did a sweep of the outside,” said Chief Andrea Holland. HPD officers thoroughly searched the exterior grounds and the areas around the church.
“I was outside setting up, and I saw the police were surrounding the church,” said Rachel Lewicki, owner of The Secret Garden sandwich shop on 5th St. “They all had out their rifles, so I knew it was something serious.”
The caller’s initial conversation with the dispatcher suggested a credible threat, which the HPD believed to be genuine. “I am going to the Church of the Incarnation on Main St. I am going to shoot him, and if any officers turn up, I will shoot them in the face. I’ll blow this whole place up,” said the caller.
“A call came in from the suspect to the Highlands Police Department saying they were going to shoot up the church,” said Lt. Tim Broughton, Public Information Officer. “At that time, the call was forwarded to our dispatchers, and we responded from there.”
Out of an abundance of caution, HPD placed the surrounding area on lockdown, including nearby businesses, the Highlands School, and two additional daycare facilities.
“I went back outside, and that is when the officer said there could be a shooter on foot nearby,” said Lewicki. “He said lock yourself in your shop, don’t come out. So that was very scary.”
Additionally, HPD requested assistance from the Macon County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), their Special Response Team, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. A bomb team was also brought in due to the caller’s claim of an explosive device.
Highlands Fire and Rescue arrived on scene and assisted HPD in securing the streets and areas around the church during the lockdown. Other Town of Highlands staff also supported, including a sanitation department truck that blocked 5th St.
“I want to thank our Fire and Rescue, sanitation department and other Town employees for their help,” said Chief Holland.
As part of their emergency action plans, HPD shared information about the situation through various outlets to keep the community informed. The Town of Highlands app released emergency information. The Highlands Chamber of Commerce shared business lockdown details regarding Main St. Mayor Patrick Taylor distributed information via his website and email list. The Highlander provided up-to-date information through our Facebook page.
Once the department had sufficient resources in place, officers and deputies began evacuating the HCCDC facility at the church. Officers borrowed school buses from Highlands School, evacuated the children, and took them to a secure location to reunite with their parents. All children were safe, and parents were relieved.
Events like this can be hard for young children to understand. When picked up by his parents, one child said, “We got to go on a really cool field trip with the police today.”
After the children were secure, law enforcement turned their attention to evacuating other businesses and citizens who had been locked down in the area. Lewicki and The Secret Garden, Mountain Fresh, and others in the vicinity, including staff at The Highlander, were released and asked to clear the area.
Once these evacuations had been completed, a bomb squad from the NCSBI entered and searched the church. No devices were found. Once the search concluded and the police department deemed the area fully secure, the lockdown was lifted just after 4:30 p.m.
“We are appreciative of the Macon County Sheriff’s Department and their SRT team, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and their bomb squad for their support,” said Chief Holland.
Threat determined to be ‘swatting’ incident
As the investigation continued, on Friday, the Highlands Police Department, the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and the Macon County Sheriff’s Office determined that the reported threat was a hoax or “swatting” incident.
“Swatting is a malicious act that can involve placing false emergency calls to emergency responders, often reporting a false, severe, ongoing crisis at a specific location,” said Chief Holland. “While the investigation has deemed that this call was a false report, HPD will remain vigilant in patrolling the downtown area, especially around the Episcopal Church and our local daycare centers and Highlands School. We take incidents like this very seriously, and the investigation into the origin of the call remains ongoing.
Mayor Taylor expressed his gratitude to law enforcement and first responders. “We have a small community and a small police force. I want to extend our appreciation to all our first responders and supporting law enforcement agencies. Working together, we want to ensure we provide the safest environment for our citizens, especially our young children.”
“I do think that the police force did a good job, and I do think that those kids were safe,” said Lewicki. “But it was a very scary day, for sure.”
Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to contact the Highlands Police Department at 828-526-9431.”
- Josh Bryson
editor@highlandsnews.com
- Mitch Stone
reporter@highlandsnews.com