The Alamance County Sheriff's Office provided an update Dec. 5 on the cause of the Culp Weaving Mill fire at 300 E. Parker St. in Graham, which occurred overnight Nov. 12 to 13. This was the first of two Alamance County mill fires in November, with the Carolina Mill burning on Nov. 25. The Culp Weaving Mill also caught fire in October 2022.
Graham resident and 22-year-old Wayland Heath Phillips. Photo courtesy of Alamance County Sheriff's Office.
Wayland Heath Phillips, a 22-year-old resident of Graham, is charged with two counts of felony burning certain building and two counts of felony breaking and entering for his alleged connection in both the Culp Weaving Mill fire and the Apple Blossom Lane house fires. Phillips is currently detained at the Alamance County Detention Center with no bond.
Three juveniles, with ages ranging from from 13 to 15 years old, have also been charged with one count each of felony burning certain building for the Apple Blossom Lane fire. The Alamance County Sheriff's Office said in the release that one count of Felony Breaking and Entering is pending for each juvenile.
As of Dec. 2, the Culp Weaving Mill remains damaged and unsecured along Parker Street, with multiple holes in the fence around the site.