Andy Bunker and Megan Mueller
2 hours ago
ST. LOUIS – Officials say trends in St. Louis could put everyone at risk in the event of an emergency.
Thieves are said to be climbing telephone poles and stealing telephone lines. St. Louis police have reported at least five incidents in the past 10 days.
City officials tell FOX 2 it’s worse than that. He sees evidence of theft everywhere he goes.
Police on Thursday arrested two suspects in the latest incident on suspicion of damaging critical infrastructure, intentional arson and theft. Formal charges have not yet been filed, pending the development of further evidence in the case.
The thieves are said to have cut the black wire casing that holds a nest of microscopic copper wires that carry phone signals into homes and businesses. Police said the suspects burned off the multicolored insulation of the ultra-fine copper wire and sold it as scrap.
One resident said, “I have seen plastic items (casings) being thrown away in the alley.” “I didn’t know they were disconnecting them from high-voltage lines. It’s crazy, I don’t know the difference between a live wire and a phone… What happens if you touch a live wire on one of them? No, there’s not enough money in the world.
The most recent cases have been centered in the Wells-Goodfellow area, starting April 26 in the 5600 block of Maffitt Street and the 5800 block of Lotus Street.
The 5700 block of Maffitt Avenue, the 5300 block of Union Boulevard, and the 5900 block of Natural Bridge Avenue were all damaged in the next day. Entire blocks of telephone lines were stolen from telephone poles.
AT&T did not respond to FOX 2’s questions about the cost of replacing lines, which are part of critical communications infrastructure during emergencies.
However, an AT&T spokesperson issued the following statement:
“Theft and vandalism of communications infrastructure is a serious issue that impacts public safety and our entire community. We are actively working with local law enforcement and conducting investigations to find those responsible.” The public should also report unmarked (non-AT&T) vehicles or individuals who cut or remove cables to the police to maintain uninterrupted, high-quality service to our customers. is the top priority.”
