ROCKINGHAM — Another man has been charged in connection to the theft of copper from a local solar farm.
A warrant alleges that 58-year-old Ralph Collins Yates Jr., who has an address south of Hamlet, was in possession of two batches of copper wiring stolen from MN8 Energy.
One set of wire weighed 135 pounds and was valued at $5,000, the other was 43 pounds and valued at $1,001, according to the warrant.
Yates is also accused of selling the wire to a local scrap metal yard on April 8. It is not clear by the warrant if the value is what the company said the wire was worth or how much Yates allegedly received from the sales.
The warrant — charging Yates with two counts each of possession of stolen goods or property and obtaining property by false pretenses greater than or equal to $100,000 — was issued April 22 and he was arrested April 27.
Earlier this month, two men and a woman were charged in connection to copper theft from the MN8 Energy-owned solar farm on County Home Road.
Yates was given a $35,000 secured bond and his next court date, following a first appearance April 28, is scheduled for May 7.
Records show Yates is also being held in the Richmond County Jail on a $20,000 secured bond for a probation violation. He was convicted in November 2025 of first-degree trespassing and injury to property to obtain nonferrous metals and given a 24-month suspended sentence. His next court appearance in that case is May 4.
Court records show Yates also has pending traffic citations and failed to appear in court on April 23.
Records with the N.C. Department of Adult Correction show Yates has other prior convictions:
1994 - common law robbery, felony larceny
1998 - unauthorized use of motor conveyance (Brunswick)
2002 - two counts of selling a Schedule V controlled substance (NOTE: Records show the charges as two counts of selling a Schedule VI controlled substance when his probation was revoked the following year.)
2003 - two counts of common law forgery (Union)
2004 - misdemeanor larceny (Union)
2006 - four counts of felony forgery (Moore)
2012 - obtaining property by false pretenses
2013 - driving while license revoked (Scotland)
All defendants facing criminal charges are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
