Two men have been arrested after cutting a fence at a Virginia power plant, police say

Police have arrested two men in Virginia in connection with a burglary at an electrical facility in Loudoun County.

The men were arrested early Saturday morning when Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office officials responded to a report that two men had cut a fence on Dominion Energy’s property, the office – says the press release. The property is being leased to another entity, the sheriff’s office said.

When deputies arrived at the scene, they found two suspects and arrested them. The men broke into the warehouse, where deputies found a bag of pliers.

The suspects were identified as Christopher J. McMillan, 51, and Joshua L. Settle, 38. Both of Manassas, Virginia.

The men were charged with possession of burglary tools, attempted burglary, breaking and entering, destruction of property and conspiracy to commit theft. Both were taken to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

McMillan is being held without bond, while Settles posted a $7,500 bond. It was not immediately clear whether the men had legal representation Saturday afternoon. Calls to CBS News’ public information officer were not returned.

The incident is under investigation, police said, but the men were there to steal copper wire.

Representatives of Dominion Energy, which operates in 16 states and provides electricity to seven million customers, said in a press release that there was no breach of a nearby substation.

Attacks on power grids have been in the headlines lately. Residents of Moore County, North Carolina were in the dark for days after substations were deliberately damaged. In June 2022, the Department of Homeland Security warned that domestic extremists were developing power outage plans at least from 2020.