Man charged after alleged threat against NC State commencement speaker

NC State’s spring commencement, set for Carter-Finley Stadium and expected to draw more than 7,400 graduates along with families and guests, became the focus of a felony threat investigation after police said a Pinehurst man posted about shooting someone on university property. The alleged target was Harry Sideris, the Duke Energy president and CEO scheduled to deliver the May 9 ceremony address.

Wake County court records show 24-year-old Luke Archer Hoover was accused of making the threat on social media, and the NC State University Police Department filed a warrant on April 23. Raleigh police took Hoover into custody Monday. Prosecutors later said in court that the threat was directed at Sideris, who was announced by NC State on April 22 as the spring 2026 commencement speaker. NC State also said the ceremony would feature student speaker Tonya Henderson Gatling, who is graduating with a bachelor’s degree in leadership in the public sector.

The case lands at a sensitive moment for one of the region’s largest campus events. NC State’s commencement page says the universitywide ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at 9 a.m. and should end no later than 11:30 a.m. The university’s spring calendar also lists multiple college and departmental ceremonies on May 7 and May 8, which means campus security planning extends beyond a single stadium event and into several days of graduation activity across Raleigh.

University officials said the safety of graduates, guests and the campus community is the top priority at commencement. Court records also show Hoover was served with a probation-violation warrant from Moore County tied to a 2023 felony breaking-and-entering conviction. Judges set a $75,000 secured bond on the mass-violence charge and a $50,000 secured bond on the probation matter. Hoover is not affiliated with NC State, according to the university.

The episode underscores how quickly digital threats can become a public-safety issue when they intersect with major gatherings. Carter-Finley Stadium will host thousands of people for the ceremony, and the attendance, timing and high-profile speaker have made the event a visible security concern in Wake County. Duke Energy said Sideris became chief executive officer in April 2025 and now oversees the company’s electric and gas utilities across a seven-state service area. Hoover is scheduled to return to Wake County court on May 12 for the probation case and May 19 for the threat case, while commencement plans remain centered on the stadium and the large crowd expected there.