RUFFIN, N.C. — Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page held a press conference along with District Attorney Jason Ramey to share details on the 2-week jury trial of a man who made multiple threats at several schools and businesses in the county in March 2020.
Joseph Lynwood Irving, 40, was sentenced to 21 years in prison for making threats against schools, businesses, a governmental center, and a courthouse in the area.
On Thursday, a Rockingham County jury found Irving guilty of:
- three counts of assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer
- three counts of communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property
- three counts of making a false report concerning mass violence on educational property
- two counts of making a false report concerning a destructive device on any building
- one count of making a false report concerning a destructive device on a public building
- two counts of threats against court officers, and three counts of threatening phone call
Rockingham County Senior Resident Superior Court Judge, Stan Allen sentenced Irving to a minimum of 258 months (21 years and 6 months) to be served in the North Carolina Department of Adult Corrections.
Under North Carolina law, Irving must serve the entire minimum of 21 years and 6 months before he is eligible for release and will then be on supervised probation for an additional 18 months.
What began as a disturbing 911 hang-up call threatening the lives of several elected officials, ended in a nearly nine-hour standoff in which law enforcement officers with the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) were assaulted with a firearm.
Deputies were dispatched to Deodara Lane in Ruffin early morning of March 11, 2020.
Shortly after his arrival, Lieutenant Jason Hutchins attempted to perform a well-being check on the resident but found himself facing the barrel of a shotgun.
Deputies on the scene called for backup and the stand-off began.
Assistance from the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) became necessary to provide officers on the scene with an armored vehicle for protection.
Irving continued to point the firearm at multiple officers, including Detective Angie Webster and Detective Tommy Underwood.
During the stand-off, Irving began calling in bomb threats to all the high schools in the county, eventually leading to the lockdown of all 22 Rockingham County Schools.
Several businesses in the county also received bomb threats. Fortunately, no bombs were located; however, the response that was required created an enormous strain on the county’s resources.
Sheriff Sam Page said they had to eventually cut Irving's phone off so he couldn't make any more calls from his home.
Special Response Team members with the RCSO were eventually able to take down Irving and arrest him without further incident.
No one in the county was harmed that day.
The sheriff's office said several schools in Rockingham County received threats, and some schools were on lockdown. They believe the threats came from Irving inside the home. Deputies said other threats were made at the governmental center and courthouse in the area. They did security checks to make sure there was nothing dangerous happening at any location that received threats.
The bomb squad from Greensboro was called in to help. There were also deputies and other law enforcement on the scene trying to negotiate with Irving. Deputies said he barricaded himself inside with a shotgun. No one was injured.
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office said Irving's father was inside the house, but they were able to get him out safely. He was not injured.
District Attorney Jason Ramey said, “For years, Irving waged an unceasing campaign of harassment against local government officials to gratify his thirst for attention. His obsession with our former elected Rockingham County Clerk of Superior Court, the Honorable Mark Pegram, culminated in Irving unleashing mass chaos on March 11, 2020."
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office also said Irving ran for Rockingham County Clerk of Court in 2018.
