Sheriff’s Office investigating burglary at Roan Mountain Fire Department

Published 8:17 am Tuesday, August 13, 2019

An investigation is ongoing into a reported burglary at the Roan Mountain Volunteer Fire Department this weekend.

Deputy James Nienast said he responded to a report of a burglary at around 10 p.m. Sunday.

“The complainant reported […] he discovered that someone had broken into the security system room by breaking the padlock on the door with a mattock,” Nienast said.

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He said the current suspect, currently unnamed, was a recently dismissed member of the fire department.

“[They] reported that much of the security monitoring equipment had been taken, along with a chainsaw,” he said. “The complainant reported that the suspect’s personnel file was also missing, and that the suspect would have had access to the security code for the front door.”

Nienast said this would have allowed him access to the building without having to force their way inside the building.

Officials reported no signs of forced entry into the building from the outside.

Officials have not yet named a potential motive.

This investigation is currently ongoing.