Classic soap in fountain prank gets 2 men charged with felonies, NC sheriff says
Dumping detergent in a fountain may be a classic prank, but town officials were not amused when it happened to a “newly installed” water feature in Mocksville, North Carolina.
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As a result, the two men suspected in the “conspiracy” are now facing felony charges and wearing electronic monitors, the Davie County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a July 9 news release.
“On the morning of July 5, 2026, deputies were notified by Town of Mocksville employees that an unknown person or persons had introduced soap/detergent products into the fountain, causing it to foam,” the sheriff’s office reports.
“Deputies responded to the scene, documented the condition of the fountain, and recovered a container that had been left in the water.”
A manhunt of a sort was launched, with detectives canvassing nearby businesses for incriminating surveillance camera video.
Footage eventually led to two suspects, ages 19 and 21, and interrogations concluded with confessions from both, officials said.
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The 19-year-old Mocksville man was charged with felony common law damage to real property for allegedly putting soap into the fountain, and littering for leaving behind the plastic bucket, officials said.
The 21-year-old, who lives in nearby Advance, is charged with felony conspiracy for allegedly playing along, the sheriff’s office said.
Both were fitted with electronic monitoring devices and placed under house arrest, officials say.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol then got involved, after the 19-year-old was accused of throwing a 12-inch pipe at a passing car on the same night, officials said. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and injury to property (the windshield of a 1969 Ford Mustang), the sheriff’s office said.
Town officials estimate it cost around $1,000 to clean and repair the fountain, which sits in a roundabout at the intersection of Wilkesboro Street, Meroney Street, and Yadkinville Road.
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Mocksville is about a 60-mile drive northeast from uptown Charlotte.
