ROCKINGHAM — Three people are facing charges related to the theft of copper from a local solar farm.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office announced April 10 that arrests had been made “after a lengthy investigation” into the theft and damage of copper wire from a solar farm on County Home Road.
“Over the past several months, the Property Crimes Unit has been actively investigating a series of similar incidents targeting solar farms across Richmond County,” the RCSO said in a press release on its Facebook page. “Copper theft at solar farms is a rising global issue, with thieves targeting valuable cabling, causing damage that can exceed $100,000 and prolonged repair times.”
Roger Dale “Trey” Gathings, 39, and Christopher Neil Heflin, 45, both of Hamlet, are accused of cutting copper wires at the solar farm owned by MN8 Energy on March 20. Heflin allegedly returned on April 1 and 6.
That farm is one of more than 875 solar and storage projects owned across the country by the company, according to its corporate website.
Other warrants allege that the pair conspired to cut wires on April 1.
Investigators have also accused 28-year-old Savennah Angel Sue Mills, of Rockingham, with selling $30,000 worth of stolen copper to a recycling company for $287 on April 3.
Additional charges against Gathings and Heflin were filed after the initial arrests.
The defendants face the following criminal charges:
Heflin - injury to an energy facility; first-degree trespassing; three counts of injury to property to obtain nonferrous metals greater than or equal to $10,000; three counts of possession of stolen goods or property; felony conspiracy.
Gathings - injury to an energy facility; first-degree trespassing; possession of stolen goods or property; felony conspiracy
Mills - obtaining property by false pretenses; possession of stolen goods or property
(NOTE: The warrant charging Heflin with conspiracy lists him as the alleged co-conspirator.)
Heflin and Mills are being held without bond, and Gathings was given a combined $55,000 secured bond. Gathings and Heflin were scheduled to appear in court April 13, Mills’ appearance is set for April 16.
“Further arrests are anticipated as the investigation continues,” the sheriff’s office said in Monday’s release.
Online court records show Mills has the following pending charges: obtaining property by false pretenses; identity theft; possession or manufacture of a fraudulent ID; attempt to obtain property by false pretenses; possession of stolen goods or property; and misdemeanor larceny.
Heflin also has pending charges of attempting to obtain property by false pretenses and possession of or receiving stolen property from 2025.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Heflin is currently on probation, having been given an 18-month suspended sentence in November of 2025 following a conviction on misdemeanor charges of maintaining any place for a controlled substance, failure to notify the DMV of a change of address and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Gathings has the following prior convictions:
2003 - misdemeanor larceny
2004 - taking indecent liberties with a child
2009 - maintaining any place for a controlled substance
2017 - driving while impaired
2018 - communicating threats
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
