HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — A tractor-trailer driver was arrested on March 10 after deputies say he reportedly fired a BB gun into the back of a car.
According to the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, Billy Franklin Swaim, 52, of Wilkes County, was apprehended and charged with misdemeanor going armed to the terror of the people and misdemeanor injury to personal property. He was transported to the Haywood County Detention Center, where he was being held under a $5,000 secured bond.
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The sheriff’s office told News 13 that deputies responded to a report of disturbance on Interstate 40. The caller met with deputies off I-40 at Exit 37 and advised about the incident, confirming that it occurred in Haywood County. The caller also provided a description of the tractor-trailer involved.
The rear window of the caller’s vehicle had been shattered by a projectile consistent with a BB gun, the sheriff’s office said. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol located the tractor-trailer and detained the driver at the weigh station until Haywood County deputies arrived.
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Deputies seized the weapon involved, which they described as a black Glock-replica CO₂-powered BB pistol. The sheriff’s office provided a photo of a real Glock 45 handgun and the BB gun side by side to show how similar they looked.
“I would like to commend our deputies for their quick response and thorough investigative work today, which led to the prompt identification and apprehension of the suspect,” Gina Zachary, the public information office with the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office, told News 13. “We also thank the North Carolina State Highway Patrol for their assistance in locating and detaining the vehicle, helping ensure the safety of motorists traveling through our county.”
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