Over 30K Customers Remain Without Power in Moore County After Act of “Intentional Vandalism”

MOORE CO., N.C. – A state of emergency is now effect in Moore County, North Carolina as thousands of homes and businesses remain without power after an attack on at least two Duke Energy substations.

Officials say someone fired shots, disabling numerous pieces of equipment and cutting power to 40,000 people. Officials say the power could be out for several days.

Moore County is located just northeast of Richmond County and about two hours east of Charlotte.

Investigators say the act of what they call “intentional vandalism” happened between 7 and 8 Saturday night.

Currently, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office says the outage is being investigated as a criminal occurrence.

In a press conference Sunday, Sheriff Ronnie Fields promised to hunt down those responsible.

“We faced something last night here in Moore County that we’ve never faced before. But I promise you, we’re gonna get through this,” Sheriff Fields added. “Moore County is very strong. And we’ve [been] very united here in Moore County. And we’re not going to let this hold us back. And I can promise you to the perpetrators out there, we will find you.”

The FBI and SBI are now involved in the case.

So far, authorities say they have not determined a motive, and no one has stepped up to take responsibility for the attack.

Many local schools and businesses are closed today.