Graham man charged after AT&T fiber theft caused internet outage

Internet service in a Graham neighborhood was knocked out after AT&T fiber optic cable was stolen from the 2500 block of Pinetop Avenue, leaving residents to call in outage reports while deputies worked to track down a suspect.

The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 29, 2026, to a report of larceny in the area. AT&T said the cable was believed stolen during the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 28, and the missing line caused the local service disruption.

Investigators said homeowners’ surveillance footage helped identify a suspect. Detectives also learned that the copper wire inside the AT&T communication cable had been sold at a local recycling facility on April 28. Authorities identified the suspect as Terry Wayne Fisher Jr., 43, of Graham.

Fisher was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Alamance County Detention Center. He was charged with felony injuring utility wires, felony larceny, felony obtaining property by false pretenses, felony possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond was set at $15,000 secured.

AT&T said residents in the area called to report the outage after the cable disappeared. The company said copper theft and vandalism of communications infrastructure can disrupt service for customers, public safety and the broader community, and that repair time and cost depend on the type and amount stolen and where it was removed. The company said it works with law enforcement to investigate these crimes and restore service as quickly as possible.

The case put a spotlight on how quickly a theft in one Graham neighborhood can ripple outward into a wider public disruption. The Alamance County Sheriff’s Office said it serves more than 170,000 residents across 435 square miles, and Sheriff Terry S. Johnson has led the agency since 2002.