1 man, 3 juveniles charged with arson in house fire and Culp Weaving fire, Alamance County officials say
One man and three juveniles have been charged with arson in connection to two fires, according to deputies with the Alamance County Sheriff's Office (ACSO).
On Nov. 12, at 7:56 p.m., multiple fire agencies and officers with the Graham Police Department responded to 300 E Parker St in reference to an active structure fire. The former Culp Weaving Mill partially collapsed due to that fire. The Culp Weaving Mill also previously caught on fire in October 2022.
On Nov. 13, just past midnight, deputies responded to a house fire in the 900 block of Apple Blossom Lane, in the Green Level neighborhood of Burlington. Upon arrival, the Haw River Fire Chief and Alamance County Fire Marshal advised they believed the fire was intentionally set. The home was vacant.
During the investigation, ACSO investigators received an anonymous tip that Wayland Phillips, 22, was possibly involved with the Culp Weaving Mill fire in Graham.
Investigators conducted interviews, search warrants, and additional investigative measures and it was discovered that Phillips was involved in the Culp Weaving fire, as well as the house fire in Green Level.
The sheriff's office and the police department have also filed petitions against three juvenile suspects. They range from ages 13 to 15, are in secure custody, and are each facing one count of felony burning certain buildings.
The three juveniles also each have a pending charge of one count of felony breaking and entering.
Phillips is charged with two counts of felony burning certain buildings, two counts of felony breaking and entering, and three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
Phillips' bond was initially set at $400,000, but a judge later reduced it to $100,000.
A third fire in Alamance County on Carolina Mill Road is still being investigated, and although no suspects have been identified, but the sheriff believes it was intentionally set.
=The Culp Weaving Mill has been abandoned for years, and it's something the mayor of Graham, Jennifer Talley, said the city has assessed the building and the property owners for quite some time.
Talley said in an interview in November when the fire occurred that "we have done things within our legal rights to be able to do, but people have property rights."
In the meantime, while the building remains how it is on East Parker Street, Talley said they've tried to put measures in place to keep people out of it and have tried to assess the building several times to try and bring it into compliance.
"It's difficult to keep people from breaking in," Talley said.
Sheriff Johnson said Phillips admitted that he set the fire in Green Level with gasoline and the fire at Culp Weaving Mill was caused by old papers while he was being questioned.
Johnson said they're now going to look into other fires that have occurred in the past that may have been questionable. That includes the first fire that happened at the Culp Weaving Mill in 2022 and the fire that happened at the former Carolina Mill on November 25th of this year.
Johnson said he's going to offer a $2,000 reward for anyone who brings information forward that leads to the arrest of those involved with the Carolina Mill Fire.