Investigators claim three Stanley Fire Department leaders crippled vital systems, leaving the town without critical emergency data for weeks.
STANLEY, NORTH CAROLINA — Three former leaders of the Stanley Fire Department in North Carolina have been indicted on multiple felony charges after allegedly sabotaging the very systems they were sworn to protect.
According to the Stanley Police Department, the three men — a former chief, deputy chief, and captain — are accused of intentionally disabling vital operations, and deleting key files. Authorities say their actions “severely disrupted operations and endangered both the community and firefighters,” leaving the town vulnerable for days.
Investigators allege the men deleted the department’s hydrant-map system that tracks every fire hydrant in Stanley, blocked access to essential emergency-response software, withheld hazardous-materials information for local businesses, and even restricted after-hours access keys needed for firefighters to enter buildings during emergencies.
The investigation, led by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Town of Stanley, and the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office, began after a leadership audit in 2023 exposed serious irregularities following a major leadership shake-up inside the department.
The accused include former Fire Chief Eric Withers, former Deputy Chief Michael Hullett, and former Captain Ashley Price.
Withers is charged with denial of government computer services, damaging computers or computer systems, and obstruction of justice.
Hullett faces charges of financial transaction card fraud, denial of government computer services, damaging computers or computer systems, and larceny by an employee.
Price is charged with denial of government computer services, damaging computers or computer systems, accessing government computers, felony breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering.
Town officials say firefighters were left operating without critical hydrant data for up to two weeks while the system remained offline. For a small town like Stanley, that kind of outage could mean life or death during an emergency.
Most fire department scandals involve money, misconduct, or corruption — but this one cuts deeper. This was operational sabotage. Authorities allege the men deliberately targeted the backbone of the department’s safety infrastructure, crippling tools used to save lives.
Stanley, with a population of about 3,500, sits just 20 miles northwest of Charlotte.
1 thought on “Three Former Stanley Fire Department Leaders Indicted for Allegedly Sabotaging Their Own Department”
An allegation is just that – an allegation – until or if proven in a court of law. I would be interested in hearing the side of the story from the viewpoint of the accused, because this whole thing smells fishy to me.