Blacksburg Man's Propane Bomb Plot Shuts Down Highway 18 for Six Hours

A 26-year-old Blacksburg man is facing felony charges after authorities say he rigged two propane tanks with a hot plate and a timer inside his own camper at an RV park, then fled on foot into North Carolina before his mother's 911 call led investigators to defuse the device without injury.

Hunter McKay Canipe was booked into the Cherokee County Detention Center and charged with making a bomb with intentions to cause an explosion, according to WSPA 7News. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office says deputies were dispatched to 1506 Shelby Highway, Lot #8, after Canipe's mother reported that her son had told her he set a timer on a propane tank bomb intended to explode inside a camper near the highway. The property is commercially operated as Hillside RV Park, a rural residential vehicle community that sits along SC Highway 18 near the North Carolina border, according to a Realtor.com listing for the property.

Mother's 911 Call Triggered Overnight Response

Cherokee County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the RV park shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday, immediately after Canipe's mother placed the emergency call, per The Gaffney Ledger. Canipe allegedly abandoned the camper on foot after setting the timer, and nearby campers were evacuated as a precaution while deputies shut down SC 18 Shelby Highway. Cherokee County Sheriff's Office personnel responded to the scene and called in the Spartanburg County Bomb Team to identify and stop the device.

Bomb technicians found two open propane tanks connected together with a cooking hot plate attached to a timer device, and the Gaffney outlet's report notes the Spartanburg team worked quickly to disable it without an explosion. Authorities said the device could have caused numerous injuries or death had it detonated. The Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office Bomb Team assisted with the response.

Suspect Crossed Into North Carolina Before Voluntary Return

The incident occurred near the North Carolina line, and Canipe crossed into Cleveland County, North Carolina, before the Cleveland County Sheriff's Office located him walking along a border road, the station's report states. Canipe agreed voluntarily to return to South Carolina to be interviewed, and authorities arrested him after that interview concluded. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office crime scene unit processed the scene and collected evidence following the arrest.

Cherokee County Sheriff Steve Mueller thanked his office's personnel and the assistance of partner agencies, adding that responding personnel put themselves in harm's way to protect the public and resolve the situation without injuries. Mueller announced in February that he plans to retire in January 2027 after 16 years as sheriff and nearly 40 years in law enforcement, according to FOX Carolina.

Six-Hour Closure on a Key Border Corridor

Responding emergency personnel, including the Buffalo Fire Department and Cherokee Emergency Management, assisted at the scene while Highway 18 remained closed for over six hours until the scene was officially cleared around 5 a.m. Tuesday. State Route 18 was the highway closed during the response.

Canipe was charged with making a bomb with intentions to cause an explosion. It remains unclear what motivated Canipe's alleged plot or whether federal authorities might pursue additional charges alongside the state felony count.

The incident follows another reported explosive incident in Upstate South Carolina. A report described an undetonated construction explosive at a Greenville County school, underscoring how regional law enforcement units routinely coordinate across county lines when suspected ordinance threats emerge in the Upstate.