Man charged with breaking into homes, flooding them

By: JournalNow Staff | Journal Staff Report
Published: August 01, 2008

A High Point man already charged with stealing manhole and water-main covers in Winston-Salem and Davidson County is now facing charges that he broke into homes and flooded them, according to a news release from the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies with the sheriff's office responded to a call at 9 p.m. Saturday at 1463 Meadowlands Drive. When they arrived, they found that the home had been broken into and that all the water faucets had been turned on, causing the house to flood. About $80,000 worth of damage was done to the home, the sheriff's office said.

Floyd Harlin Rainear, 46, of 4572 Fairport Court in High Point, was brought in for questioning Tuesday and told detectives that he was responsible for the flooding at 1463 Meadowlands Drive, the sheriff's office said. Investigators also found out that Rainear flooded another house at 110 Gentle Pond Court.

He told detectives that he flooded the homes to get revenge against a former employer. Detectives went to the home at Gentle Pond Court and found water running from under the garage doors onto the driveway. The water was shut off, and deputies went into the home and found that all the water faucets had been turned on and two toilets had been damaged. Damage was estimated at $80,360.

Rainear was charged with two counts of misdemeanor breaking and entering and two counts of injury to real property.

Deputies had arrested him last week after investigating several reports that water meter covers had been stolen from construction sites in Arcadia and Wallburg. Rainear was charged with four counts of misdemeanor larceny. He was released at the time by a magistrate on a $2,500 unsecured bond.

Winston-Salem police had also charged Rainear with stealing about $2,000 worth of manhole and water-main covers from a housing development off Linville Road. The 18 manhole covers and 13 water-main covers were taken on the night of June 24 from a new housing development along Vernon Farms Boulevard. He tried to sell the covers to Atlantic Scrap & Processing in Kernersville, the Winston-Salem police said. He told Davidson investigators that he stole water-meter covers for money, according to the Davidson County Sheriff's Office.

Rainear is in the Forsyth County Jail with bond set at $8,000. His first court date for all of his Davidson County charges is Aug. 26.