Nantahala – Exactly 3 ½ weeks after a sign supporting President Donald Trump was torn down and a gun was fired in the direction of a business owner, authorities with the Swain County Sheriff's Office apprehended a suspect in the incident.
Benjamin Michael Campbell, 38 of 1101 Riverbend Club Drive in Atlanta, was arrested around 8 p.m. Sept. 30 off Johnsons Ferry Road in Cobb County, Ga., and charged as a fugitive from justice, a felony. Campbell was extradited back to Swain County on Tuesday, where he faces charges of felonious assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflicting serious injury; discharging a firearm within enclosure to incite fear; and willful and wanton injury to personal property.
In CCTV footage later released to the public via YouTube, Campbell's vehicle was identified as the one involved in a Sept. 6 incident at Paddle Inn Rafting Co. on U.S. 19/74. A Smoky Mountain Times report from Sept. 16 said a deputy was dispatched to a call about shots being fired near 14611 U.S. 19 West around 5:52 p.m.
The deputy reported nothing suspicious at the scene, and no damage was cited.
The footage's release three days later painted a harrowing picture.
The suspect – believed by authorities to be Campbell – was shown ripping down a pro-Trump banner on the property. The Smoky Mountain Times said Paddle Inn Rafting Owner Mark Thomas saw the incident and fired two shots in the air; in response, the suspect opened the sunroof of his vehicle and fired two shots of his own.
Swain County detectives were able to identify the license plate from the CCTV footage and made a trip to Marietta, Ga., on Sept. 30, to work with the Cobb County Police Department to arrest Campbell. The department's Major Crimes Unit, Viper Unit and SWAT Team – as well as the Dunwoody (Ga.) Police Department – all assisted on the execution of a pair of search warrants on two homes and the vehicle used in the incident, after which Campbell was placed under arrest.