While stripping a Subcarrier Communications tower in Indiana of copper, the thief left a receipt in the compound from a salvage yard he was at a few days earlier that photographed him with his Ford Tundra crew cab and trailer.
Two cash rewards have been offered, one leading to the arrest of an individual who stripped a Subcarrier Communications tower of copper and another for information that will lead to recovering a single drum winch and trailer.
Last week, Tad Pepmeier was at a gas station in Monroe City, Indiana, close to where he lives, and noticed a tower climber working on a nearby tower. He knew Subcarrier Communications had recently acquired the AT&T Long Lines 200-foot guyed tower.
He wanted to meet what he thought might be a Subcarrier crew and found that it was just one individual on the structure. When the man came down, Pepmeier informed Wireless Estimator, he said he was taking down the transmission lines under a contract with AT&T and gave him a woman’s name to contact.
Pepmeier, who provides maintenance services on Norfolk Southern towers, said that the man looked professional, wore PPE, and had a relatively new Toyota Tundra crew cab with a trailer with Tennessee license plates.
This Hydradyne hoist and a trailer were stolen off a BL Tower Construction job site in Oklahoma. The company is offering a reward for its return.
He later contacted Subcarrier to ensure the cable stripping was authorized and was informed it wasn’t. When he returned the following day, he contacted Subcarrier’s President, John Paleski, informing him the transmission lines had been removed, and Subcarrier filed a report with the Knox County Sheriff.
The individual might have provided Knox County with an excellent investigative clue, his photograph, and other information.
According to Paleski, a salvage yard receipt dated three days earlier was found in the tower compound. The salvage yard provided a photograph of the seller, and Pepmeier identified that the individual and his truck and trailer were at the Monroe City site.
Paleski is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone providing information that leads to the arrest of the copper thief. You can contact the Knox County Sheriff (Case # 23-09-0063).
Winch recovery is sought with a $2,500 reward
Oklahoma-based BL Tower Construction is seeking information on recovering equipment stolen from a tower site in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.
The company’s president, Woody Williams, informed Wireless Estimator that a new single drum winch and trailer with recently added stabilizer jacks was stolen, and he is providing a $2,500 reward that could lead to the return of the equipment.
The winch is a Hydradyne Hydraulic 24hp Tower Erection Hoist – HTH-24-PD12-1-0, and the trailer is a 2020 MaxxD 20 – 5R8BC2021LM067483.
Williams can be reached at 918-639-7737 or woody@blconstruction.com.
The winch would be primarily used in the wireless construction industry, and anyone trying to sell it should be reported to Williams.
If your company has recently had a major theft of equipment or vehicles, please contact Wireless Estimator, and we’ll assist in promoting the incident to assist in recovery efforts.