Four men posing as telecommunications subcontractors were arrested by the West Boylston, MA police when they made an unauthorized entry at a cell tower facility. The Telegram & Gazette reports that the four individuals drove to the site in two vehicles with NY plates and then approached the cell tower wearing hardhats to suggest that they were a work crew. The men had no paperwork to support their claim that they were T-Mobile subcontractors arriving to remove 3G coax cables.
Arresting officer, Sgt. James Bartlett of the West Boylston police responded to an alarm that the party set off and determined that it was likely that the men were there to steal copper cabling. He noted that this incident was similar to other cell tower breaches involving copper theft. “The investigation is ongoing,” he stated. “Other police departments have reported similar thefts at their cell towers, with the same vehicles as the ones in West Boylston. We’re trying to connect this one to the others.”
All four alleged malefactors were held without bail, pending arraignment at the Clinton District Court. Each could face a felony charge of breaking and entering a building in the daytime. Additional charges, including one count of larceny over $1,200, are also possible. The men were identified as Tajpaul Moses, 32, Yuvraj Moses, 31, and Huckomchan Ramjiawan, 26 of Schenectady, NY, and Kevon Alvin Roberts, 24, from Queens.
The cell tower facility the men attempted to violate is owned by the West Boylston Water District. According to the Telegram & Gazette, the town leases the cell tower to a company that sublets it to Verizon, which, in turn, leases it to T-Mobile.
Representatives from Verizon confirmed the four men were not approved or allowed on site by Verizon. Additionally, Verizon acknowledged that copper and battery theft are ongoing problems at various cell towers around the area, according to The Telegram & Gazette.
Wise to how thieves operate, Bartlett said he recognized right away that cables cut inside the office and outside on the tower did not follow normal procedures for cable decommissioning. “If it were to be done right, cables are unscrewed to be removed,” he explained. With scrap copper selling for approximately $6 a foot, Bartlett said he understood why cell tower violations are all too common.
Reader Interactions