Man with Charlotte ties accused of mailing at least 14 bombs to face judge

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Officials said the name of the man arrested in connection with the pipe bomb scare is Cesar Sayoc, 56.

According to authorities, Sayoc is scheduled to face a judge Monday morning in Miami, charged with five federal crimes.

An FBI source confirmed to Channel 9 that Sayoc was born in March of 1962.

Channel 9 found a man with the same name and same birthdate in Mecklenburg County court records dating back to the 1990s.

A spokesperson for the University of North Carolina at Charlotte said Sayoc attended the school from 1983 to 1984.

He had an undeclared major and played seven soccer games for the university.

His coach was Bob Warming, who said he also taught and it was difficult to get to know any of his players because he was so busy.

"Well it was a very long time ago, 1983," Warming said. "He was a walk-on. It was a much different era in athletics, in soccer in particular. My reaction is that it's very sad that anybody, whether he's Republican or Democrat, whatever political beliefs, that we are sending bombs to people. It's just sad that there are people who think that's okay to do."

Reports say he lived in Asheville, Matthews, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Records from the Matthews Police Department show Sayoc lived in what used to the Stoney Trace Apartments in the late 1990s.

Channel 9's Tina Terry visited Sayoc's old apartment and neighbors, but no one was home at the time.

Records also show Sayoc also lived in a community off Ardrey Kell near Ballantyne in 2000.

Neighbors said they did not know Sayoc personally, but watched national coverage of the incident and were shocked to learn of his Charlotte ties.

"It's very scary that someone so close could be so dangerous," neighbor Meghan Robinson said. "I would hope no one would ever do that, but obviously it's still occurring."

"It's kinda scary to think about it at first that people living in your neighborhood could end up being a little bit crazy," resident Courtney Durbin said.

Neighbors who spoke to Channel 9's Tina Terry said the communities saw a lot of turnover, so it is possible people who once knew Sayoc are gone now.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

Eyewitness News reporter Glenn Counts spent hours digging into Sayoc's criminal background, dating back to his time in Charlotte.

In April 1999, police arrested Sayoc for possession of a stolen car. Charges were dismissed five days later because it was too long ago. There are no court records which elaborate on the circumstances of his arrest and dismissal.

Since Sayoc moved to Florida, he has been arrested numerous times for theft, fake ID's, drugs, and assault.

In August 2002, a police report said Sayoc was in a dispute with Florida Power and Light in Hollywood, Fla. and threatened a company representative.

The police report said he threatened to blow up FPL and that "it would be worse than September 11." He also threatened something would happen to the FPL representative if they cut his electricity.

In 2012, Sayoc filed for bankruptcy in Florida. Court documents said that he lived with his mother and owned no furniture.

Officials arrested Sayoc Friday morning in Plantation, Florida. Investigators said Sayoc inflicted terror across the country with suspicious packages containing pipe bombs.

Authorities also hauled his white van away from the scene, covered in highly political stickers and stickers referencing North Carolina.

Officials said they found Sayoc's DNA on at least one of the packages and used his phone to track him down.

Investigators said Sayoc has been charged with five crimes, including illegal mailing of explosives, in the rash of devices addressed in recent days to Democratic figures including former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report)

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