Vandals shot up several Duke Power substations, leaving thousands without power for four days. | American Public Power Association/Unsplash
Vandals shot up several Duke Power substations, leaving thousands without power for four days. | American Public Power Association/Unsplash
The State of North Carolina, Moore County and Duke Energy each put up $25,000 to sweeten the pot for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for shooting up power substations.
“I thank Moore County and Duke Energy for matching the state’s reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible,” Gov. Roy Cooper said after the County and utility matched the State’s offer; a recent WGHP report said.
Moore County deputies, meanwhile, have obtained multiple search warrants as they follow up on leads related to the incident that left thousands of county residents without power for four days earlier this month.
The details about the search warrants were not released, as they were said to contain sensitive information that is part of an ongoing inquiry by multiple law enforcement agencies. It was also not made clear if any of the tips were related to the reward.
A person or multiple people attacked Duke Energy utility substations in Moore County by shooting at them, damaging the utility grid and leaving more than 45,000 homes and businesses without electricity on Dec. 3. With nightly temperatures dipping below freezing, the incident jeopardized the health and welfare of many.
State and federal officials have joined the Moore County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.
“An attack on our critical infrastructure will not be tolerated,” Cooper told WGHP. “I appreciate the coordinated efforts of law enforcement to leave no stone unturned in finding the criminals who did this.”
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