Burke County Couple Charged With Cutting Utility Lines And Causing More Than 20,000 Outages

On September 17, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Highway 70 near Old Highway 70 Loop regarding fiber communication lines that had been cut, resulting in approximately 20,000 service outages.

During the investigation, detectives developed two suspects, identified as Hershel Nathan Davis and Janet Ledford McDaniel. Arrest warrants were issued for both individuals

On September 28, Davis and McDaniel were located and arrested by the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and subsequently transported to the Burke County Jail.

Hershel Nathan Davis age 49, is charged with felony injuring utility wires/fixtures. He is being held under a $100,000 secured bond. His next court date is scheduled for October 22.

Janet Ledford McDaniel, age 55, is charged with felony injuring utility wires/fixtures. She’s also charged with Misdemeanor Simple Possession of a Schedule III Controlled Substance. Her bond is listed at $55,000 with the next court date is scheduled for October 22.

Burke County Sheriff’s Office