HAMLET — Sheriff’s deputies have made an arrest in the Memorial Day vandalism of state and county property.
“We received a Crime Stoppers tip that was spot-on, good information and sheriff’s office investigators worked that tip that led all the way up to the arrest,” Chief Deputy Mark Gulledge said Wednesday afternoon.
Trent Dean Maynor, 21, of Pear Drive in Hamlet, is charged with a felony count of first-degree trespassing after deputies say he used a rifle to shoot a water tower on Oak Ridge Church Road “causing a hole to the water tower with the intent to impair the services of the public water system,” according to a warrant for his arrest.
When the investigating officer arrived on the scene Monday, he said he “noticed a quick and steady stream of water coming from the bottom” of the tank, according to the incident report.
Trent was also charged with a misdemeanor count of causing injury to personal property for allegedly shooting out two windows of a New Holland broom tractor owned by the N.C. Department of Transportation that was parked nearby.
Trent was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Richmond County Jail under a $40,000 bond.
Online court records show the only other charge Maynor is currently facing is for speeding.
According to the N.C. Department of Public Safety Division of Adult Correction, he has no prior convictions in North Carolina.
Richmond County Public Works Director Bryan Land said Tuesday that water customers experienced no interruptions due to the leak in the tower, which serves about 600 customers.
Damage to the water tower is estimated at $5,000, but Land said initial costs would be around $10,000. Repairs are expected to begin Thursday.
Reach reporter William R. Toler at 910-817-2675 and follow him on Twitter @William_r_Toler.