UPDATE Two people are under arrest in the case of the toppled tower for KITX-FM in Hugo, OK. Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park identified the suspects as Candice Logan, 34, and Matt Wilson, 37. Both are residents of that county, reports KTEN-TV.
Police say the vandals who stole copper cables from the transmitter site near Hugo cut the tower guy wires and caused most of the structure to fall. A 500-foot antenna also fell, knocking the station off the air.
The station serves both the Hugo, OK and Paris, TX audience. Police in Paris, TX, said Thursday that the suspects crossed the Red River and took the stolen copper to Paris Iron and Metal to sell it. The staff there called police, who were able to identify two persons of interest who are Oklahoma residents, according to KTEN-TV.
Only 180 feet of the 499-foot tower was still standing, owner Will Payne of Payne Media Group told KXII-TV after the incident. After causing damage estimated at half a million dollars, the thieves were able to harvest approximately $100 worth of copper, Inside Towers reported.
In a Facebook video, Payne thanked law enforcement, the community, local businesses and advertisers for giving police leads and tips. He said KITX remains on “minimal power” from a tower outside the company’s Paris, TX studio. The station is streaming its programming.
Payne said the plan is to bring back KITX at “much, much greater power. We have the tower manufacturer cranking out new pieces of tower.” A new antenna is coming from Miami. That’s expected to arrive this week.
However, the weather “doesn’t look good” for the early part of this week to complete the tower work. “That’s a problem,” Payne said. “We plan to have everything in place. If we get a break in the weather Wednesday [through] Saturday, we will be back on the air. That will give the station time to recover from this heinous event and return to full power,” he explained.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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