A Moore County man is facing felony charges after deputies say he stole power wire in Eagle Springs, leaving about 150 Randolph Electric customers without electricity.

Sheriff Ronnie Fields said deputies arrested 44-year-old Eric Wayne Callihan on August 22 after investigators identified him as the person allegedly responsible for taking the wire. The theft cut power to homes and businesses in the area.

Callihan was charged with felony injuring an energy facility, felony larceny, felony possession of stolen goods, and felony obtaining property by false pretense. He was booked into the Moore County Detention Center under a $275,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is set for Sept. 10 in Moore County District Court.

The charge of injuring an energy facility is a newer law in North Carolina. It took effect in December 2023 under the Protect Critical Infrastructure Act, which was passed after two power substations were shot in December 2022, causing widespread outages across Moore County. The law makes it a Class C felony to damage or interfere with energy systems and carries a possible sentence of more than 15 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.

Fields credited the law with giving law enforcement stronger tools to address crimes that target essential services.

“I want to thank Senator Tom McInnis for introducing and ensuring the passage of the Protect Critical Infrastructure Act following the attack on Moore County’s power infrastructure in December of 2022,” Fields said. “This legislation sends a clear message that acts targeting our critical infrastructure will not be tolerated. It serves as a strong deterrent and provides us with the ability to hold individuals fully accountable when they commit any act of injury against systems that are essential to our citizens.”

All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.