Investigation continues in bomb found at courthouse

By: Richard Gould | Hickory Daily Record
Published: March 05, 2010

The Newton Police Department is continuing its investigation into the woman who took a bomb to the courthouse in the trunk of her car Wednesday.

Annie Elizabeth Stein, 43, of Newton had driven the car to the magistrate's office to take out an arrest warrant on Phillip Hicks, also of Newton, for assaulting her and her teen son.

Stein was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on Feb. 23 after the remains of at least six horses were found in and around a pasture she'd leased.

The Newton Police Department will not say if the animal cruelty arrest is related to the bomb incident.

In the report that accompanied the warrant, Stein, 43, referred to Hicks, 38, as her friend. She said Hicks slapped her 16-year-old son's face, knocking him over on one occasion, and punched her in the eye on another.

In the report attached to the warrants, Stein wrote that both attacks happened after Hicks had been drinking for several hours.

She said Hicks slapped her son on Dec. 31, 2009 after the two had gotten into an argument about the teen's father. She said Hicks slapped her son and chased him to the car. He locked himself inside and Hicks punched the windows screaming, "Where's your (weakling) dad now?" she said in the warrant.

Stein said Hicks punched her on Feb. 7 while she was driving him to the store on a beer run.

She took out the warrants on him Wednesday.

While Stein was talking to the magistrate, she told her that there was a bomb either at her home or in her car – she wasn't sure which.

Newton police found a bomb shaped like a coffee can, covered with duct tape and filled with gun-powder and with what look like shotgun pellets. They called in the Gaston County Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, which disabled the device.

The magistrate attached a note to the arrest warrant suggesting that, upon Hicks' arrest, the magis-trate who processed him assign a high bond because, "This man is very violent" and may have been involved in putting a bomb in Stein's car.

The Catawba County Sheriff's Office is assisting the Newton Police Department with the case.

"We're investigating to see if any crime was committed in the county and if there has been, we'll follow up on that," said Chief Deputy Coy Reid of the Catawba County Sheriff's Office.

"If there's been a federal crime, (the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) might get involved in the case," Reid said.

Stein has a history of arrests on driving while license revoked and worthless check charges in Lincoln and Catawba counties dating back to 2004.

Hicks was arrested in Lincoln County on Nov. 25, 2009 on a domestic violence warrant taken out by his estranged wife. He was charged with assault by pointing a gun at his wife and 19-year-old and threatening their lives.

The case is pending.

Hicks and his wife took out Domestic Violence Protective Orders against each other on Nov. 30, 2009 citing physical abuse and threats.