NC man handed note to Horry County post office employee saying he had a bomb
The Aynor Post Office was back open Tuesday after being shut down Monday afternoon when a person attempted to rob the government agency by threatening to have a bomb.
A 43-year-old North Carolina man has been arrested for attempted armed robbery and use of a weapon of mass destruction for act of terrorism in the incident.
Kyle Earl Beall, of Hendersonville, is accused of entering the post office at 2945 U.S. 501 about 2 p.m. and handing the clerk a yellow note, according to a Horry County Police incident report. Officers were told that the note said that Beall needed a money order of $1.07 or the cell phones located in his vehicle outside were going to explode.
Aynor Police Department arrived on the scene first and was able to detain Beall without incident, the incident report said. Officers asked if he had any explosive devices in his vehicle and he said that “he did not think so, unless somebody had placed them there after he exited the vehicle,” the report said.
A witness told police she was sitting at her desk when she heard someone yelling from the front lobby. The person said that he was a federally-protected witness and that he was in a hostage situation, the report said. The man also yelled that he had a bomb in his vehicle and he needed a postal inspector.
The witness called 911 and had all the employees exit the building to ensure their safety.
The employee who was handed the note said that the man became irate and began to read from his phone, the report said. He demanded that she give him a money order due to him being an “FBI whistleblower.”
The man was taken into custody without further incident and HCPD Bomb Squad checked the vehicle, which was determined not to be a threat, according to a text from Horry County public information director Thomas Bell.
Beall was booked into J. Reuben Long Detention Center where he remained Tuesday morning without bail.
People took to social media showing the post office at 2945 U.S. 501 surrounded by police vehicles. The incident happened about 3 p.m. Monday.
A person answering the phone at the post office Tuesday said everyone is good and that the office is open.
A message left with the United States Post Office was not immediately returned.
This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 9:13 AM.
