ROXBORO, N.C. (AP) -- A South Carolina company building a military vehicle plant in Person County denies it's abandoning the plans.
Force Protection of Ladson, S.C., said last summer it would use a plant in Roxboro to build its Cheetah line of armored vehicles, which are lighter and more maneuverable than previous models.
But Force Protection has faced accounting problems, shareholder lawsuits and a loss of market share.
The company started construction in December and was supposed to create 270 jobs. It planned to have at least 70 workers making the blast-resistant vehicles by now.
The News & Observer of Raleigh reports there were fewer than two dozen workers Thursday with no activity on the assembly line.
Force Protection spokesman Tommy Pruitt denies the company will abandon the plant, but would not say when production might begin.
