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GREENSBORO — Police recovered five firearms Wednesday from the home of a man charged Tuesday night with threatening to shoot members of the City Council.

Greensboro police executed a search warrant at the home of William Marshburn, at 4693 Long Valley Road near Summerfield on Wednesday afternoon.

Marshburn, 57, was arrested outside Tuesday night's City Council meeting when he showed up to protest plans to annex his home into the city.

On Monday, city officials said he had made threats to a senior planner over the phone claiming he would "shoot all the council members" if they annexed his home.

When investigators arrived at the home about 1 p.m., they noticed a device resembling a rigged explosive near the front door, Lt. Brian James said.

Members of the department's bomb squad were called to the house as a precaution to remove the device, which was inert.

Officers spent three hours searching the home and recovered the firearms, which included shotguns and rifles, James said. They also recovered a machete and several books that James described as being "anti-government" in nature.

"We were looking for any weapons that would have allowed him to carry out his threat," James said.

During his arrest, which took place outside the Melvin Municipal Office building, police found a can of Mace in Marshburn's backpack, according to city officials.

He was charged with nine counts of communicating threats and one count of disorderly conduct.

Court records say Marshburn continued his threats during a hearing before a Guilford County magistrate.

Records described Marshburn as having a mental condition and being unstable.

In his first appearance in court Wednesday, Marshburn denied making the call and making threats against the council.

A judge reduced his bond from $200,000 to $25,000.

"He'll be annexed into the city in June and hopefully we'll have no more problems," James said. "But it's better to know about him now than later."

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com