A man in a North Carolina town has been arrested for possessing a weapon of mass destruction with a “huge potential for disaster,” sheriff officials said.

Owen Gregory Dean, 44, was arrested Thursday after a search of his Murphy home by bomb technicians from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation revealed a blasting cap, a small explosive typically used to detonate a larger, secondary explosive device, according to the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.

The device found in Dean’s home had a “huge potential for disaster,” Sheriff Derrick Palmer said.

“Explosives must always be properly handled and stored,” Palmer said in a statement on Facebook.

Dean, who is currently on probation, was arrested after investigators received a tip regarding the detonator. He’s expected to return to court on Thursday, Palmer said.

Murphy is a town of 1,600 residents in western North Carolina, according to 2010 Census figures.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact investigators in Cherokee County at (828) 837-2589.