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Posted on 07/02/2026 2:23:24 PM PDT by DFG
High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson is speaking out after a man allegedly brought a flamethrower and other weapons to a church parking lot on Sunday.
Jefferson thanked High Point police officers for their quick response to the scene, including the off-duty officer who was working at Wesley Memorial Church that day.
The mayor also stated that the suspect, William S. Milliken III, 44, of Thomasville, appears to have mental health issues and that he had a notebook with the addresses for churches and schools in his truck, according to court documents.
Jefferson expressed his gratitude that no one was hurt as a result of Sunday’s events.
You can read Jefferson’s full statement below:
“As Mayor of High Point, I want every resident to know what happened yesterday, and why we all owe our police officers our thanks.
“Yesterday morning, during Sunday services at Wesley Memorial Church, High Point 911 received a call reporting an armed individual sitting in a truck in the church parking lot. The caller reported that the individual was wearing camouflage clothing and appeared to have a firearm.
“An off-duty High Point police officer who was working at the church immediately responded, and additional officers arrived within minutes. They safely disarmed the individual and took him into custody without incident.
“After searching the vehicle, officers recovered a CO₂-powered launcher designed to resemble a handgun, two flamethrowers, two crossbows, more than 500 rounds of ammunition, multiple knives, black duct tape, and oxycodone pills. The suspect now faces multiple criminal charges, including possession of a weapon of mass destruction.
“Court documents also show he had a notebook with addresses of churches & schools, police scanners, body armor, and more in his truck. The docs also state he’s believed to have mental health issues.
“Most importantly, no one was hurt. Hundreds of people who had gathered to worship were able to return home safely to their families.
“I’m grateful to the community members who recognized that something wasn’t right and made the call to 911. Their willingness to act reminds us that public safety is a shared responsibility.
“I’m equally grateful for the professionalism and decisive response of the High Point Police Department. They resolved a highly uncertain situation quickly, calmly, and without injury to anyone involved.
“Moments like this remind us that many of the most important acts of public safety are the ones most people never have to think about, because they end before tragedy has the chance to unfold.
“Thank you to every member of the High Point Police Department for your service to our city
A Thomasville man faces multiple charges, including having a weapon of mass destruction, after bringing a flamethrower to a High Point church on Sunday, according to a High Point Police Department news release.
At 10:15 a.m., High Point 911 got a call about an armed person sitting in a truck in the parking lot of Wesley Memorial Methodist Church on Chestnut Drive.
The caller said the man had a gun and was wearing camouflage clothing. An off-duty officer who was working at the church then responded to the parking lot. Additional officers arrived, disarmed the man, later identified as William S. Milliken III, 44, of Thomasville, and took him into custody.
At the time of his arrest, he was wearing a plate carrier, which is a type of body armor.
Milliken’s charges include possession of a weapon of mass destruction, impersonation of a law enforcement officer and possession of a controlled substance, Schedule II.
After his arrest, officers searched Milliken’s truck and found:
CO2-powered launcher designed to resemble a handgun two flamethrowers two crossbows more than 500 rounds of ammunition rolls of black duct tape three knives Oxycodone pills
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Lights on, nobody’s home.
Are those crazy eyes?
After his arrest, officers searched Milliken’s truck and found:
CO2-powered launcher designed to resemble a handgun two flamethrowers two crossbows more than 500 rounds of ammunition rolls of black duct tape three knives Oxycodone pills. Getting frisky was he.
Photo....
So close. One arrest away from having a supporting role as the whacked out idiot on Chicago PD, FBI or Law and Order.
Or the next action movie as a punk who finally gets drilled with rounds at the end.
Or could have won a primary in the Democrat or Dem. Socialist parties in 2026.
Actually police could say “no motive found” and his defense lawyer could have said “my client armed himself as a citizen defending himself against our all too violent culture where self defense has become a necessary routine.”
This reminds me of Christopher Walken playing Annie Hall’s brother Duane talking to Woody Allen (Alvy Singer)...
Duane: Can I confess something? I tell you this as an artist, I think you’ll understand. Sometimes when I’m driving... on the road at night... I see two headlights coming toward me. Fast. I have this sudden impulse to turn the wheel quickly, head-on into the oncoming car. I can anticipate the explosion. The sound of shattering glass. The... flames rising out of the flowing gasoline.
Alvy Singer: Right. Well, I have to - I have to go now, Duane, because I, I’m due back on the planet Earth.
Actual flame thrower or just a propane weed burner? On mine is a lever I push to make the flame fly! I use it for starting fires to burn up trash and tree limbs.
Trying to imagine the attorney handling the case ladies and gentlemen of the jury, My client had a flamethrower with him for perfectly innocent reasons.
Obviously.
“ Actual flame thrower or just a propane weed burner? On mine is a lever I push to make the flame fly! I use it for starting fires to burn up trash and tree limbs.”
*****************************************************
A weed burner is what I’m visualizing based upon the apparent attempt to make the situation APPEAR more scary than it actually was. For example the over-the-top descriptions of what I interpret to be a BB pistol and a container of 500 BB pellets.
https://flameengineering.com/collections/heavydutytorches
Remove him from society with extreme prejudice and then go start gathering the rest of the bottom few percent like him that wander to and fro looking for whom they can devour.
The world will be a much happier and peaceful place.
I’m trying to figure out the 500 rounds of ammunition and no actual firearm.
AND WE HAVE NO MENTAL HOSPITALS-———WHY????????
what amazes me is how many of these mass killings only get caught last minute
“AND WE HAVE NO MENTAL HOSPITALS-———WHY???????”
Because Geraldo Rivera did an endless series of biased and hyperbolic “news” specials attacking mental hospitals as cruel, creating a narrative that we needed to let them out.
He was not alone in his efforts:
Properly run sanatoriums are expensive and don’t make politicians rich. So they supported his efforts.
Drug companies saw this as an opportunity to push “miracle” drugs that cured the crazies. Now, of course, they don’t work as well as they were touted. And crazies are bad about taking the meds because — well, the side effects suck. And they’re crazy.
And there was a concerted effort by persons who wanted to disrupt American society (i.e., commies) to get judges and lawyers and politicians to make it very hard to put crazies in sanatoriums. They probably supported Geraldo’s efforts.
But Geraldo, believe it or not, was the one who got the drum beat going.
He has the look - koo koo man.
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