Haynah-Aoys H. Noear, 35, and Courtney A. Vincent, 31, both of Kansas City, have been charged with damaging critical infrastructure in a tower site compound owned by Crown Castle.
Two individuals accused of damaging a Kansas City, Missouri cell tower on Monday have been charged with targeting critical infrastructure — but court documents suggest the alleged theft from a 110-foot monopole site on Prospect Ave., owned by Crown Castle, was driven by theft rather than terrorism. Missouri state law identifies communications networks and facilities as critical infrastructure and includes enhanced penalties for damage of communications networks.
The July 15 charges came on the same day that Wireless Estimator reported that Charter Communications raised the alarm about a surge in attacks on its network, calling them acts of “domestic terrorism.” A major telecom industry coalition documented nearly 6,000 incidents of theft and sabotage over a six-month period, including alarming spikes such as in Missouri, where Charter recently suffered significant fiber damage that disrupted emergency services.
But in this case, Jackson County court records paint a different picture. According to filings, Haynah-Aoys H. Noear, 35, and Courtney A. Vincent, 31, both of Kansas City, were arrested after allegedly breaching a secured cell tower compound near Independence Plaza and removing transmission lines used to service thousands of subscribers.
The Kansas City Police Department, in a statement, said that around 11:10 a.m. on Monday, officers were dispatched to the site following reports of a disturbance. Investigators determined that the suspects cut into multiple electrical cabinets and pulled cables off a waveguide bridge.
The suspects fled the scene but were apprehended shortly thereafter. Noear was found near 6th and Park Avenue; Vincent was taken into custody near 10th and Prospect Avenue.
The site is considered critical infrastructure, providing both mobile and high-speed home internet service to area businesses and residents. Such damage can ripple through emergency services, government operations, and business communications — a pattern that Kansas City police say has become more frequent across the region.
In 2024, similar cable cuts knocked out 911 service to both the Kansas City Police and Fire Departments, with at least three incidents severing all communication to the Jackson County Courthouse and the Sheriff’s Office.
Still, while recent headlines suggest the possibility of a rise in ideologically motivated sabotage, this case appears to fall into a more familiar category: alleged copper theft to fuel a personal lifestyle. The suspects face charges of damaging a critical infrastructure facility and trespassing, with Noear facing an additional trespassing count.
If convicted, each could face up to seven years in prison and a fine of $10,000. Noear may face an additional six-month sentence and a $1,000 fine for the second trespassing charge.
Noear has a history of not showing up to court, which has led to multiple warrants. The most serious is a new charge, most likely from the recent tower vandalism, which carries a $10,000 bond. If Noear can post 10% of the bond, he could be released — unless a judge later denies bond due to his history of repeat offenses.
Vincent is currently jailed on the new felony infrastructure charge, a probation violation, and a detainer from Kansas, which blocks her release regardless of posting a $10,000 bond. Her criminal history includes drug possession, felony theft, trespassing, and repeated court noncompliance, painting a pattern more aligned with sustaining a lifestyle through theft than any ideological motive.
