The night air in Floyd County shattered with a series of controlled blasts that rattled homes and nerves alike. What sounded like thunder rolling through the hills was actually the careful destruction of a dangerous stockpile of homemade explosives, seized after a tense investigation that ended with two arrests.
💥 Why It Matters: Explosives don’t just vanish into thin air—they demand expert hands and swift action to keep communities safe. This event exposed a hidden threat in Floyd County and tested local authorities’ ability to manage a volatile situation without putting residents at risk.
🚨 What’s Happening: Police uncovered a large amount of unstable explosives linked to two men, 56-year-old Daryl Stamey Sr. and 64-year-old Steven Gray. Gray faces 23 counts of manufacturing explosive devices after investigators found bomb-making materials at his home. The Floyd County Bomb Squad had no choice but to detonate the explosives in a controlled setting because storing them safely was impossible.
- The discovery came after a search warrant was executed at Gray’s residence and an unrelated commercial facility on Hull Avenue.
- Multiple agencies, including the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, joined the investigation.
🔊 Between the Lines: The explosions echoed across the county late into the evening, unsettling many residents. Police Chief Mark Wallace acknowledged the disturbance but assured the public there was no danger during the detonations. Still, the department plans to improve communication for future events like this, after early alerts via social media and the Code Red app.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
