A North Carolina man was charged in connection with an alleged vandalism in Henry County.
Aaron Chase Clayton, 21, of Stoneville, N.C. was charged with one count of felony vandalism and a misdemeanor count of reckless handling of a firearm, according to a release from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office.
Local investigators are investigating a Jan. 4 incident of vandalism to the Commonwealth Crossing water tower, located at 196 Commonwealth Crossing Parkway in Ridgeway. Damage to the water tower appeared to have been caused by bullet from a high powered rifle. The estimated cost to repair the damage and replace the water is $35,000.
During the investigation a suspect from the Stoneville, N.C. area was identified. Through the course of the investigation, investigators conducted numerous interviews, in addition, video surveillance was obtained and a search warrant was executed.
Clayton has been arrested and is currently being held in the Rockingham County Detention Center awaiting extradition back to Henry County. Rockingham County is holding Clayton on a Fugitive from Justice warrant based off of the outstanding Henry County warrants. Clayton is held on a $15,000 secured bond.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the many concerned witnesses and citizens that came forward with information in this case. In addition we thank our media partners for the continued coverage of the case.
Anyone having information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2,500 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
