A routine traffic stop in Hildebran turned into three felony charges after Burke County deputies say the driver was tied to a communication-line theft that left part of South Center Street without phone service — and deputies found a gun in his car that, as a convicted felon, he wasn't allowed to have.
The Burke County Sheriff's Office says communication lines were cut down on South Center Street between 5th Avenue SE and 4th Avenue SE in the Town of Hildebran on August 27, prompting deputies to open an investigation and develop a suspect vehicle, according to the Burke County Sheriff's Office. Patrol deputies later located that vehicle and conducted a traffic stop, identifying 39-year-old David Loransa Young II as the driver, the sheriff's office said. The investigation turned up evidence indicating Young was involved in the theft of the communication line, and deputies also found a firearm inside the vehicle — a problem given that Young is a convicted felon barred from possessing one.
Court records reviewed by Catawba Valley News & Weather show the stolen material was 25 pounds of cut copper telephone wire belonging to telecommunications provider Brightspeed, which was sold to a recycler as ordinary scrap metal for just $109. That payout stands in stark contrast to the cost and disruption of repairing severed phone lines for a company that, per ISP Reports, provides DSL and broadband service to roughly 32.6% of Burke County households.
Felony Charges and a Prior Drug Case
Deputies took Young into custody and transported him to the Burke County Magistrate's Office, where he was charged with felony injuring wires/fixtures, felony possession of a firearm by a felon, and felony obtaining property by false pretenses, according to the sheriff's office. He was given a $75,000 secured bond and appeared in court as scheduled on August 28, with his next court date set for September 18.
The wire-theft charge carries serious weight under state law. Under North Carolina General Statutes § 14-154, willfully injuring, destroying, or pulling down pedestals, poles, or apparatus owned by telephone, broadband, or telecommunications companies is classified as a Class C felony, according to Justia Law. Legislative updates to North Carolina law in 2023 heightened criminal penalties for damaging public utility fixtures and telecommunications infrastructure specifically because of the risks such damage poses to public safety and 911 emergency access.
This isn't Young's first run-in with law enforcement in Burke County. He was previously arrested in Morganton in December 2025 during a probation search that yielded 12.8 grams of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, resulting in felony drug charges under a $250,000 bond, according to Morganton Public Safety.
Second Suspect Still Wanted
Felony warrants have also been issued for Anthony Jackson Lewis, who was developed as a suspect in the same investigation, the sheriff's office said. WHKY identifies Lewis as a 39-year-old resident of Vale, North Carolina, who faced outstanding felony warrants following the investigation. The Burke County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information on Lewis's whereabouts to contact the agency at 828-438-5500.
Hildebran sits in eastern Burke County along Interstate 40 near the Catawba County line, giving it a direct transit corridor between Hickory and Morganton — a route that can make wire theft targets easy to reach and just as easy to leave behind, as Hoodline has previously reported on Burke County Sheriff's Office operations in the area.
Part of a Wider Pattern in Burke County
The Hildebran case is far from isolated. Just one week before the South Center Street theft, Brightspeed reported another utility wire theft on August 20 near the Henry Fork River Bridge in Burke County, which led to felony charges against a local resident, per WHKY's crime reporting. And in March 2025, Brightspeed reported the theft of more than 6,400 feet of internet data cable along Mineral Springs Mountain Road in Burke County, a case that led to an arrest after the stolen copper was traced to local scrap yard transactions, according to The Paper.
The thefts also fit into a broader regional trend. In August 2026, law enforcement agencies across North Carolina reported a surge in organized copper theft rings targeting utility poles and broadband infrastructure, including cases in which suspects disguised themselves as utility workers. Whether the Hildebran incident is connected to any larger ring, and whether local scrap yards followed mandatory reporting rules when purchasing the raw copper, remain open questions in the case.
