MORGANTON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The discovery of a damaged fire extinguisher at a historic courthouse led law enforcement to arrest a Morganton man. 

On Feb. 2, officers with the Morganton Department of Public Safety were dispatched to the Historic Burke County Courthouse on East Union Street for a vandalism call. Upon arrival, they located 27-year-old Joshua Daniel Sanders in the area. 

Upon interviewing Sanders and reviewing surveillance footage, officers say they determined that Sanders had broken into and damaged a fire extinguisher housing unit. Sanders then proceeded to “willfully misuse and discharge the extinguisher” into the grounds of Courthouse Square.  

The device had to be taken out of service due to the damage. Sanders was arrested and charged with molesting a fire extinguisher system.

Sanders did not receive a bond due to North Carolina’s new pretrial integrity act, which requires judges, not magistrates, set the conditions for pretrial release for certain violent offenders. His first court appearance is set for March 25.