CLEMMONS, N.C.—The man came out of nowhere, but he seemed to be on their side.
Dozens of residents of Clemmons, a small village south of Winston-Salem, were alarmed about a proposed asphalt plant that could be built in their neighborhood, Rolling Green Village.
The man, who said his name was Chris Sanderson, told neighbors he too, felt concerned about the potential environmental harms.
Weeks later, residents learned the truth. He was operating under an alias.
Public records, photographs, social media accounts and technological fingerprints on his documents showed he was Chris Hopkins, a man who has worked over the past 20 years for consulting firms whose strategies for industrial clients included subterfuge.
